I appreciate when you tell us what your personal favorite is as well. It helps give the basis for our own comparisons.

I remember vividly a Utah Symphony concert, Abravanel conducting, soloists John Stewart and Maureen Forrester. "Der Abschied" has especially lingered in my mind ever since.

Wunderlich is one of my favorite tenors. I'm not very familiar with these songs, but having Wunderlich as the singer is enough for me to give them a serious listen with this recording.

Dame Janet Baker...yes. The "Sea Pictures" recording with Barbirolli in 1964 move me to tears. I'd love to hear this.

This is my favorite recording of my favorite piece.

Reference or not, the Klemperer has long been one of my favorites.

You are absolutely right, but despite having Klemperer in my collection (Wunderlich ❤) I still listen to Walter/Ferrier/Patzak over and over again. Whenever I hear Ferrier I just can‘t help listening on and on until the music is over. I‘m not from the UK by the way (A)

The stereo Walter was my first Das Lied; got it on LP when it first came out. Helped me get through the angst and turmoil of teenage years. I was so struck by the music that I tried to improve the translation to be more like what I felt the music was expressing.

Oh yeah!! I love the original LP artwork as well which is classic. Good old Otto

I discovered Das Lied von der Erde in my late teens at a live concert (can't remember the performers) and was totally blown away. So I needed to have it on record. And the recording I got was the Klemperer, still on LP in those pre-CD times.

I already had the Klemperer but by golly the Bruno Walter/Mildred Miller version is a superb listen. She, in particular, sounds glorious. Thanks for putting me on to it!

The thing that has always struck me about the final movement, “The Farewell “, is that no matter how well the soloist sings the woodwind section always steals the show. It is such brilliant orchestration.

Wonderful video. Fully agree!

So fun to hear a Mildred Miller shout out. I was at Carnegie Mellon during her tenure there, where she was famous for her brutal frankness. She was known among the voice majors as “Thoroughly Honest Millie”!

Thanks Dave. Well, I do have Bernstein with Fisher-Diskau … I love it ! (I believe that baryton voice is best for the last piece.)

While Eiji Oue's recording won't be a "reference recording" except by way of the label, it's one of my favorite recordings - also highly regarded on Classics Today : )

The stereo Walter used to get as many recommendations by critics over the years. That said, I'm curious to hear the new remaster of the Klemps which just came out as a Mahler subset of the big Warner box.

Oh why must I be so tortured! As in others of my deserted island works, Das Lied presents me with an impossible choice from among two recordings. In this case it's Klemperer or Bernstein/Vienna. When I sit down with the Bernstein to revel in his oft deliciously manic way, especially with the Trinklied, I must then endure the torture of not hearing the greatest tenor ever to sing this work.

Oh, yes. Wunderlich is so amazing in his arias… none better. And Ludwig did, what 5 recordings? Klemp, Reiner, Bernstein, Karajan, Kleiber? Plus, the EMI sonics in the 60’s were so vivid… I agree w all your comments about the many other great versions. An embarrassment of riches.

My first Das Lied was the Walter/Haefliger/Miller one. I bought the Odyssey LP in 1973 when I was still just discovering Mahler. The piece became my favorite of all of Mahler's works, and that's the version I imprinted on so it has always been my preferred version. My only source of information about classical records in those days was my dad's subscription to High Fidelity magazine, and their critics seemed to favor the '50s one as the best of Walter's recordings; glad to see you don't agree with that. And do my eyes deceive me or is Julius Patzak not even mentioned on the cover of that CD?