What is your Favorite Mahler Symphony?

I love the 6th, which is mainly known for the three giant hammer blows in the 4th movement

I love Mahler too, OP.

The real question for me is, which conductor recorded the symphonies the best? I like a little bombast, so Solti is my go-to.

R2 Solti is great, but I try to change it up.

As far as complete cycles, you can't go wrong with Sir Georg Solti, Seiji Ozawa, or Michael Tilson Thomas. Pierre Boulez has some great recordings, too, but I am not sure if he ever did a complete cycle. MTT in San Francisco recorded the 6th on Sept 12, 2001. It is an amazing recording that will bring a tear to your eye. So much emotion and anger.

Your thoughts?

He is Mahler!

I’m not familiar with MTT. I will look into his recording based on your recommendation.

I have the Bernstein, but I prefer the Solti to Bernstein.

I wish Karajan had recorded the full cycle, but to my knowledge he didn’t.

Ozawa is great and underrated.

Das ist nicht Mahler!

R5 Yeah, I never liked Bernstein's Mahler

I’m taking Thriller… and Mahler’s 9th.

My favorite is probably Mahler 7, which lots of people hate. It has my favorite (rondo-)finale in all of Mahler; so much tension and release like a musical ejaculation. I like all the popular adagios, as well, but the march tempos are what make me love Mahler with my whole heart. The march sections of Sym3Mov1, and Sym2Mov5 are wonderful as well. Also, the Sym1 landler is great fun to conduct like Dudamel when drunk.

My imprint cycle:

1, 5, 6, & 7 - Abbado & BPO

2 - Solti & CSO

3 - An apparently rare recording with Haitink & VPO that I can't find anymore, sadly...it was on a popular YT channel that got deleted :(

4 - Tennstedt & LPO + Popp, this is a fucking sublime recording & her voice is ethereal

8 - hate this symphony, so I avoid it lol

9 - Boulez & CSO

MTT was (Is?) a great interpreter of Mahler. But I'll still go with the conductor closest to the source who is Mahler himself, Bruno Walter. Also Zubin Mehta made some great recordings. I'll agree with OP... Bernstein's Mahler is a little lugubrious.

Mahler's Ninth is like life itself.... long passages of meandering, boredom.. and then a sublime moment... and then boredom again....

Mahler is the most pretentious and overbearing of all the so called great composers. His popularity will wane as other more talented composers of the period, especially Bruckner, rise back to prominence.

R11 People have been saying this for 40 years. Still waiting...

I don't think Mahler is pretentious at all, R11. To the contrary, IMO, Brucker is fine, but he's big and sacred and serious all the time. Mahler, even at his "saddest", is far more charming and plays around with folk sounds, marches, sly rhythmic variation, etc. It's just more interesting and more fun to some people (like me). Not pretentious, just great (epic) fun to listen to, fun to conduct, sometimes fun to do a silly dance to.

R11 They will forever be lumped together in "which do you prefer" like Friends v. Seinfeld, Ginger vs. Mary Ann, Mozart vs. Beethoven, etc.

Both expanded upon the traditional notions of what a symphony should be. Both have their own distinct style. Both will stand the test of time.

But Mahler shouldn't be pretentious, You should listen to the music because YOU love it, not because you are "supposed to." For example, I never got into Debussy. I personally prefer Chopin or Ravel. Yet, I have friends who love Debussy. We open a bottle of wine, but on records and argue about it.

My point is that musical discussions should be fun and educational. However, much like political discussions today, people stop listening and name call besides enjoying good wine, conversation, and learn with friends.

R9, you and I have VERY similar tastes, because I LOVE the 7th, and don't care at all about the 8th and don't listen to it.

For the poster who asked, Boulez did record the complete cycle.

Bernstein on CBS/Sony is my imprint version of most of the symphonies except 8 (Tennstedt) and 2 (Rattle). These are my favorites for 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

I like so many versions of Symphony No. 2, it's hard to pick a favorite. I like both of Bernstein's NYPO recordings (DG and CBS/Sony). But I also like Klemperer, an early version by Solti, Fischer, Blomstedt. It's safe to say, I think, that I like whichever version is playing at the moment, which it frequently is. It's the one I voted for today.

HvK does my favorite No. 4. This may have to do with his being my imprint version.

Bernstein on DG does my favorite 5. I also love Sinopoli's recording.

The only version of No. 6 I listen to is Bernstein's CBS/Sony. The rest are too slow in the opening. And his andante is one of the most gorgeous pieces of music ever written, played, or recorded.

I also like Abbado's earlier versions (not Berlin) of 3 and 7. His 2 is also wonderful.

My favorites for no. 7 also include Bernstein on DG, MTT, and Barenboim (OOP).

Das Lied has never really interested me as much as it has other Mahlerians.

Thread from last year.

No idea.. I don't know anything about classical music.

Does that make me a bad gay male, unworthy of browsing here? Do most gay males naturally know about Mahler and most classical music? . Would you guys not date anyone who didn't know or enjoy such music?

DAMN, who knew that the DL loved the fourth

Mahler 4 is a pretty easy listen, some might call it "Mahler-lite" with just the giant climax of the Ruhevoll. I didn't vote for it here, but I love it and can see why others would. I first heard it in high school French class, as we were watching the film The Music Teacher/Le Maître de Musique. It was also the first time I heard the gorgeous, moving "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" from his Rückert-Lieder. I'm always startled to hear sopranos sing it, because I always expect José van Dam's rich baritone.

R20 Since so much of Mahler is "rich and thick" (some might even say ponderous), the third and fourth both have more air, perhaps.

For me it's the adagios in all of Mahler....just let the adagios go on repeat.

I'm surprised no one likes the 9th?

The final movement is perfection.

For me HvK's live recording of the 9th with the BPO is peerless. I also love his 4th and 6th.

I know people pooh-pooh the 8th, but with top notch voices and conductor you can just let that wall of sound wash over you. Tennstedt's live recording is my favorite.

I'm one who never much liked the 7th, but Abbado's version is the best I've heard.

Claudio Abbado's recordings are my favorites on DG. They are also very well recorded.

I love Abbado's early cycle, r24 (Chicago, Vienna). The later cycle with Berlin doesn't excite me the same way.

Also, what is the Second Symphony doing in next-to-last place?

I think his Lieder are better than his symphonies. I especially love the Ruckert Lieder.

Mahler did ppp much better than FFF.

For those unfamiliar with Gustav Maher and his music, a short introduction to him and his symphonies.

Is this the 3rd thread on Mahler symphonies this fall? Yes op, we love Mahler and his music.

r18 You're a good gay male without being familiar with Mahler. But it's a situation that's easily remedied. Here's his Second Symphony, conducted by Leonard Bernstein at Ely Cathedral in England in 1973. This is the version parts of which you'll hear in the upcoming biopic, Maestro.

You hate Mahler! Aside from Maris, who doesn’t!?

Honestly, my favorite Mahler symphony is the one I'm listening to.

I love them all the same. I fixate on one and listen to various recordings. I have a perfect Mahler "cycle" with various conductors and orchestras.

A Mahler symphony with a different conductor/orchestra can sound like a completely different piece

OP I think its 'WHICH' Mahler symphony is your favorite? You pretentiousness queen you.

I thought a piece of Mahler meant chocolate.

R30, I'm with you for the most part, but I've never warmed to the 6th and 7th. The rest are wonderful in their own ways.

R32 Your grammar is poor also. Dear.