Mahler - what are your favorites?

[bart]

Originally Posted by Josquin des Prez

+1 on the suggestions for Sibelius 2, Tchaikovsky 4, Beethoven 6.

I would add Brahms 1, Dvorak 9, Bruckner 4, Mozart 40 & 41, Haydn (any or all of the "London" symphonies), Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements & Symphony in C.

Top recommendations by Tim and Dean.

I would add: Schubert 8 & 9, Brahms 4.
Personal favourites: early work of Mendelssohn, Debussy's piano works, Ravel's solo piano work.
Let's not forget the 20th century greats as Ravel, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Barber, Britten, Pärt.
And we do injustice to all the other great composers not mentioned here.

I can't help myself, I HAVE to mention some of them: Bach, Händel, Purcell, D Scarlatti, Couperin, Vivaldi, Schütz...
And then there is renaissance, and polyphony...

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson

Don't do a mix-down. Play the 2channel track if you do not have a multichannel system.

Good choice. I prefer some others but that should not be of concern to you.

Another excellent recording but how/why do you want to compare it to the 5th?

i guess that my thoughts were a different symphony and composer/orchestra to compare to the one I had, I do understand that each composer/orchestra will have their own interpretation of the Symphony, so I guess it would be best to compare one 5th to another 5th. I just wanted to expand my collection of symphonies and try different people then have 3-5 versions of one symphony, (i guess). If that makes any sense.

Maybe Ill have to buy 2 different 6th symphonies and see which I like better, then pursue that collection over the other.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by tima

Welcome callas01. The MTT/SFSO series is generally quite well received, so you're at a good place if you pursue further Mahler symphonies in that series. That may imprint on you as a baseline for gauging other conductors and orchestras. The first post in this thread lists a few other Mahler collections.

When you buy a ticket to MahlerWorld, you can ride all day for the rest of your life. Some folks find an interest with one symphony then start exploring the others in the order Mahler wrote them. But there is no right or wrong way to go. The 1st Symphony is the easiest entre to Mahler, a must hear in my opinion. Mahler's 2nd is one his most popular; there, the Channel Classics SACD w/ Ivan Fischer has been very well received.

While this is foremost a Mahler thread, I'll touch on your general question about classical music. If you like what you hear from Mahler, you might branch out to other works and composers from his general era. I have a very strong preference for Sibelius. You might enjoy his 2nd Symphony. If you prefer melodic easily digested large scale orchestral music, Tchaikovsky was late 19thC, and is quite accessible; you might enjoy his 4th Symphony. In a more modern direction, consider Stravinsky and his music from the Firebird ballet, surely an example of rhythmic genius. Back in time, there's no reason not to jump directly to Beethoven; I'd recommend his 6th Symphony. And on it goes. For me personally, even if I don't care for a work the first time around, I'll replay it several times to learn more and let it grow on me (if it will.) Happily there is lots to explore and the potential for a lifetime of enjoyment. Feel free to follow-up; with luck you'll hear from others.

thanks. I appreciate all that info.

I mostly listen to alt-rock and indie rock, so this is a newer step for me. I do have Eric Wilde playing Rachmaninov piano concertos, and a Berstein Strauss 8 and 9th cd, as well as a dvorak cd.

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by callas01

i guess that my thoughts were a different symphony and composer/orchestra to compare to the one I had, I do understand that each composer/orchestra will have their own interpretation of the Symphony, so I guess it would be best to compare one 5th to another 5th. I just wanted to expand my collection of symphonies and try different people then have 3-5 versions of one symphony, (i guess). If that makes any sense.

Sorry. I took your use of the word 'compare" to mean more than you did. I do recommend sampling more symphonies before buying additional performances

Maybe Ill have to buy 2 different 6th symphonies and see which I like better, then pursue that collection over the other.

Unless you are stuck on HD, the Bernstein/VPO (DG) would be a great contrast with the Abaddo. If you really want HD, try the Zander/Philharmonia (Telarc).

[callas01]

Im open to any variations of cds/sacd, I was just figuring if I have the setup to play hd recordings, why not. But I know theres some very good cd recordings out there and Im willing to look into all avenues.

As of this moment here is what I have for classical music.

Rachmaninov piano concerto 2 and 3 by eric wilde and royal phil orchestra, jascha horenstein chandos
ode to freedom bernstein in berlin beethoven symphony 9 duetche gramaphone
shubert symphony 8 and 9 leonard bernstein and the new york phil. sony classical
dvorak slavonic dances royal phil orchestra and douglas bostock rpm
mount st marys seminary vespers schola
gladiator soundtrack
mahlers 5th symphony MTT SFSO
Star Tracks Eric Krunzel and the Cincinatti pops orchestra telarc
great film fantasies eric krunzel and the cincinatti pops orch telarc


the rachmaninov i felt was very good when it came to playing the piano, but the recording had this hissing sound that just as things would get quiet would start to stand out and be kinda annoying. the schubert cd has the same thing but at a much lower volume. the ode to freedom had a slightly veiled sound quality to it. the others seem like good recordings but for my tastes the dvorak is to spritely sounding. i like the darker quality of the schubert symphonies. the mt st marys was very well recorded, but not the kinda music im ready to call my own, prefer without the signing. gladiator sounds great, dark and clear/transparent with good weight. I guess overall, i prefer a darker sound, the deep growls of a cello over flutes and reeds.

so i bought the mahler and also the great film fantasys , i havent heard either they should be here tomorrow, but Im curious to see where this takes me. and the opportunity to venture out into more things.

Sorry to speak so randomly in this thread about classical in general, but Im thinking maybe I should start down a path, as it was said, of starting with mahlers first and then onto the 2nd and so forth.

[Toccata]

People, the OP asked about our favorite MAHLER, not our favorite pieces in general!

[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by Toccata

People, the OP asked about our favorite MAHLER, not our favorite pieces in general!

I for one am not going to complain about some concrete discussion of music, even if it is a bit off topic. It's a welcome change to all the so-called listening threads that are little more than catalogs of album covers.

[callas01]

so i got the Mahler SACD, its sounds great. I was a little upset as I didnt know exactly how the Oppo and SACD works, apparently I cannot output via optical to my tube dac, so its connected via the analogs from oppo to Nait 5i. Overall, I have preferred my Tube dac to the Oppo 103s internal dac.

OK for those that get upset about any discussion other then Mahler, let me start.

As a budding Aficionado of classical music in general, I have found the MTT and SFSO rendition to be very similar to the version I had heard on satelite radio(I didnt catch the conductor/Orchestra). And Im finding the Mahler piece to be very listenable, with pretty good rhythm. I think Ill take Kal's advise and start back with Symphony 1 and compare it to another Symphony 1 so I can see how different the pieces sound from one conductor to another.

Does anyone have some solid recommendations for some Mahler's 1st Symphony on standard CD that I could look into? Id like a quiet background and superior sonics. Advise??

As I said, the cd's i have bought have not been good selections, they have had noisy backgrounds and mediocure sonics.

[tima]

Originally Posted by callas01

...

Does anyone have some solid recommendations for some Mahler's 1st Symphony on standard CD that I could look into? Id like a quiet background and superior sonics. Advise??
...

You need go no further than this thread for Mahler 1st suggestions:Mahler One.

I haven't updated that msg. yet to include a relatively recent SACD offering from Channel Classics w/ Ivan Fischer and the Budapesters. There is some discussion of it upstream. (Perhaps not my first suggestion, but it's a fine offering.) I suggested starting at Mahler 1 and also suggest starting at post #1 and reading through to get background, suggestions, flavors, and prefs from some of the folks posting here. You may also find in the first post of this thread various links to "Mahler Resources" which are mostly recommendation Web sites and pages. Have fun.

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by tima

I haven't updated that msg. yet to include a relatively recent SACD offering from Channel Classics w/ Ivan Fischer and the Budapesters. There is some discussion of it upstream. (Perhaps not my first suggestion, but it's a fine offering.)

I agree. OTOH, I am listening to a DFF session file of this (and the soon-to-be-released 5th) and gaining even greater appreciation of the sound quality that Channel gets in these recordings.