What would be your favorite Mahler to give as a Christmas gift?

[john haueisen]

Please feel free to suggest your own favorite performance, or alternatives to the poll suggestions listed.  The idea is that if you wanted to give someone the opportunity to meet Mahler's music, what would be a good entry performance.

[merlin]

Bernstein/RCO/DG M1 was my first introduction to Mahler's music, so that would be my recommendation.

Second would be Fischer/BFO/Channel Classics M2, especially if the giftee could play SACDs.

[Jules]

I have voted M1, too. I think it is the most accessible Mahler symphony in a first approach. But I would not forget works such as Des Knaben Wunderhorn or Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen.

[john haueisen]

My brother-in-law, who is a devout Catholic, recently expressed interest in Mahler, after hearing a description of some of the words from M2.  Perhaps he was also intrigued by the program title "Resurrection."  Anyway, I'm giving him a DVD of M2, so that he can get the full effect of the subtitles (meaning means as much to him as the music!). 

I'm hoping that by suggesting he start with the "Urlicht" movement, he may get hooked, and later want to enjoy the entire symphony.  Hey, I can't help it.  I love Mahler's music so much that I want more "Mahler-appreciative" people around me.

--John H   

[barry guerrero]

The Bertini box set. It's reasonably priced, and it's great.

[john haueisen]

The Bertini box set. It's reasonably priced, and it's great.

Barry is so right!  When I got the Bertini set from a used seller at Amazon, I thought the price was so low that it would not be a very good performance.  Boy, did I learn!  I should have read about it here at the board.  It was a delightful surprise to hear such good recordings at such an affordable price!

If you don't have Bertini yet, you'll be surprised at the reasonable price, and delighted at the sound.

Happy New Year all! 

[Damfino]

Posted by John Haueisen:

I'm hoping that by suggesting he start with the "Urlicht" movement, he may get hooked, and later want to enjoy the entire symphony.

I'd start with the first movement. The M2 is easily my favorite, and I have (or have had) more recordings of it than any Mahlers. However, for a long time, I only listened to the first movement. It took me awhile to get used to hearing a lot of singing in symphonies.

I like the recommendation of M1 as a start. For me, I think I got into the orchestral symphonies first, because I was more used to orchestral music at the time (this was before I became interested in choral works and opera). I started with 1,5 and 9, then moved onto 4, 2 and 3. 6 and 7 came later, and I am still not as enamored of the 8th as I probably should be.