I will never tire of hearing you say “the Russian, state, broadcast, federation, radio, Soviet, academic, tv, everything but the kitchen sink, orchestra.” I laugh every time and have rewatched it many times. Aside from that, another great talk. Keep them coming

Years ago I attended Mahler 5th with Chailly at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. It blew me off my chair. I bought the CD box as soon as it came out and played it from 1 till 10 many, many times. Now I'm looking forward to the Mahler Festival in May 2025 in Amsterdam. I've managed to buy a passe-partout, all 10 symphonies in 10 days. For me it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear this fantastic music live.

Mr. Hurwitz, As a native Utahan I just wanted to thank you for including Maestro Abravanel's cycle as it was my first exposure to Mahler. I was a performance major at The University Of Utah while he was still with us and he attended every concert and greeted us all as we walked off stage. One time I flubbed a passage in Beethoven's 1st symphony and I didnt get my jovial handshake/smile just a scowl and frown. Needless to say I didn't let that happen again. I was lucky enough to ascension his score collection to The University Of Utah's music library and getting to see on the score of Prokofiev's Fifth "With love to Maurice, Serge" was a thrill. Just wanted to say thanks again for shedding some light on a hometown hero. Cheers!

I watched this again last night and after I streamed Michael Gielen's recording of the Mahler 8. It's a work I'd been struggling with a little as I found the first part quite 'noisy'. The second part had clicked with me but not the first. Until Gielen. Now I'm a 100% convert. What a magnificent recording. Thank you so much for your recommendation. First you put me on to Ozawa's Japan Mahler 2 and now Gielen's Mahler 8. I can't wait to go back through your videos of the individual symphonies and get some more life changing recommendations.

Thank you for assessing these collections and for your invaluable insights.

Thank you, Dr. Hurwitz. I like your sense of humor. 😂

At last. I have the next many, MANY hours of listening (without disappointment) laid out for me. Thank you Dave!!

I was never a great fan of Mahler's, but after listening to Bernstein's reading I finally understood Mahler's music! Mahler makes sense under Bernstein!! By and large a marvelous conductor!

David - I listened to the Bertini Mahler 8 - you are spot on. It is one for the ages. When I was timpanist of the Oslo Philharmonic from 1983 through 1998, I had the opportunity to work Gary Bertini on the 5th, 6th and 9th Symphonies. All clean, well-conceived performances - especially of No. 9! A fine conductor!

Como siempre, una extensa y maravillosa reseña! Gracias, señor Hurwitz!!!

I love how automatic captions sometimes translate "Mahler cycle" as "motorcycle"

I like that the Gielen box has petty much EVERYTHING in it, not just the symphonies. I think Bertini would be my #1 pick, but I could easily live with any the last 6 or 7 boxes that you chose. Well done.

I'm so glad you mentioned the Sinopoli 7th, the recording with a cowbell that sounds like a bunch of soup cans.

The Maurice Abravanel was only the 2nd complete Mahler cycle to come out after Bernstein. However, it was the first budget cycle and for many of us our age it was our first Mahler recording back in the 70s that we could afford with our allowance or summer job money. I have meet many folks in there 60s or older who were introduced to Mahler from this cycle.

I happen to like Rattle’s version of the 10th, 6th and 5th. His lovely wife (Magdalena Kozena) sings a good “Das Himmlische Leben” in the 4th symphony (under the late Claudio Abbado’s baton) too!

Dave, you mention the price of the Chailly Mahler cycle relative to some of the others. I'd think anybody looking at that cycle might want to consider the "Chailly Symphony Edition" box, 55 CDs that includes the Mahler plus complete cycles of Beethoven, Bruckner, Brahms and Schumann and quite a bit of other stuff, at about $2/disc currently. That might be worth discussing in the big boxes that are still around series of talks you've been doing.

Great survey, thanks Dave!

Hello Mister Hurwitz,I have listening to you with the greatest interest for some time now,and here is my first comment...How much I love Mahler's music no impossible to describe,just a music and it's beauty can't be describe in words...For me music is above poetry!This time I will say something about the symphonies I listen to the most,compared to the performances from the recomended cycle,which are 3th and 6th .I have to say right now that I don't accept the term -best in music.Everyone has their favorites!In particular,I can't agree with your opinion that the cycle from R.Chilly is superb...In addition to the 3 and 6 that I mentioned,I will also comment on the first one ,which left a fantastic impression on me,especially the first part,with the flute solo etc.,performed by K.Tennstedt with the CSO,a live performance.It's something extraordinary ,truly unsurpassed,as well as the Andante in the Tragic symphony ,also Tennstedt interpretation,with LSO.1991.!!It is a flight to heaven ,a silent departure,merging with divine beauty..3rd symphony,or Progress to divine,L.Bernstein,live performance with the Vienna philharmonic-Magnificent,for me no 1,absolutely,absolutely!!!The beginning with the brass delights me..Fantasy...then the powerful beauty of the marches...Spectacular!!!So Adagio,of course,fascinating sublimity!!!I also wont to say that the extraordinary performance by Andres Orozco Estrada with the Frankfurt Phil h armonic(Natalie Stutzmann enchanted me with her singing)!...The cycle of the R.Chilly is excellent,thanks!!I listen to you every day..Greetings from Serbia💙💙💙💙💙

This is very helpful. Thanks. My live, attended performances of Mahler have all been with Tilson Thomas. I loved them. My spotty discography is just flat out unsatisfying, though I love my fourth with Kathleen Battle.

The last movement of Bertini's Mahler 3 was a Come To Jesus moment for me. As spacious as you could want, full of innigkeit, superlative playing - especially from the brass, and always a sure sense of where the music is going. One of the great performances in my view.

Great overview, thank you! "Von STAYED," hahahahha! You crack me up! Odd that two of Mahler's peers Otto Klemperer and Bruno Walter failed to do all the Mahler Symphonies. Of the complete sets, Bernstein/NY and Kubelik have always been my "go tos."

Mr. Hurwitz, thank you very much for the thorough and very well informed video. I very much appreciate it.

I fully stand your recommendations!!

Thank you so much for this talk! Just hearing chailli 5th and it's amazing! All the dark voices from the castle appear!! So exciting!! Did you try to KZfaq this title:"chailli mozart wrong concert" it's a fantastic anecdote from Chailli. And my proud for being Portuguese:-)

Dave! Love the hysterectomy shtik in your intro to Michael Tilson Thomashevsky's Mahler "Procedure" :)

Wow! Just got Chailly's cylcle and that is some beautiful and elegant Mahler. I love this cycle so much that I'm putting it second to Berstein's, only out of homage to the great master and a hunch that he really'got' Mahler. If we had recordings of Mahler conducting Mahler my guess is that it would probably sound a lot like Bernstein. Having said that, Chailly really works wonders with these symphonies- the clarity and expressiveness of individual instruments is surprisingly new, and he brings so much to the foreground that was previously hidden. There is an elegance to Chailly that some may not for Mahler, but for me it's simply beautiful. He tempers down some of the big splashes (like the final note of the 1st), but you know, Mahler doesn't have to be heavy metal all of the time. The orly thing I find a bit oddball is the beginning of the 6th. Ifs someone else has heard the cycle I hope you loved it too and I'd really enjoy any comments.

Just watched your Mahler 2 video yesterday, in which you exclaimed that you would never do a video on the best Mahler Cycles 😂😂 Very funny timing

This channel is such a hidden gem in the classical world… Only discovered this after a Taiwan page shared one of the vids. I’m sure the Asian community would love your work! Would be wonderful if smb can do Chinese subtitles too haha🤣

I bought the Rattle set, my first Mahler symphony exposure, before seeing your videos. I opted to save a few bucks over the Bernstein New York Philharmonic set. A decision I learnt to regret. I have since made amends: I love the symphonies so much I bought both the sets and have already in the span of just a few weeks added in several additional versions of various symphonies. The Rattle wasn't all a waste of money. I genuinely love what I hear on most of them, and I've yet to hear another version of Symphony 7 but I think he may do well at that one but it's like Bernstein exists just to one up him on every level. That said, I now own both sets and have spent most of my time listening to Rattle. I have also used it as a learning experience to pinpoint what makes an average and what makes a great performance.

Hi David and readers, For many years I was searching for the ideal or best recordings of my favourite works. I read a lot of specialised magazines and listen a lot to records (I worked for many year in a record shop). What striked me was that often ‘journalist’ or ‘reviewers’ were so in contradiction with each other. I still read many specialised papers/apps. A recent example is the 4th from Mahler by Roth which was receiving only praise in Gramophone, but was criticised by Diapason. My view now is that there are bad, good and excellent records of every work, but a best doesn’t exist in my view. This inside opened my listen experience much more, as I am not in search, just enjoying the view of the musicians. I am writing this while listening to Mahler’s 9th by Karajan which I didn’t know so much. Thanks for the recommendation. It is splendid, but I can honestly not say if it is better or worse than for example Klemperer. It is for sure different. Those days I don’t buy records anymore, but listen through a streaming service, which makes it so easy to listen too many different versions. Maybe I’ll put Klemperer’s 9th to follow.

That Gielen guy seems to fulfill all my Mahler needs. A one-stop-shop, a Swiss Army Knife. Thanks, Mr. Hurwitz, for simplifying my listening. PS: Is Messiaen's Quatour pour la fin du temps on your to-do-list?

Hah! Perfect timing. I just finished my July as always listening to several Mahler cycles - six this year, including all your top ones. But frankly, compared to Bernstein, Bertini, Gielen, even Ozawa, I found the Chailly set to be somewhat too buttoned up and restrained. The playing was immaculate, the recorded sound excellent. It was the conducting that is just too cool. Maybe just me after too many Mahler cycles. I hope that Sony re-releases a cheap box with the Edo de Waart cycle from the Netherlands that I missed on the original RCA release.

David you are doing the work of calling out overrated pseudo mahlerites , thank you,.

Thanks so much for this much needed (and appreciated!) post. And (phew!) I already have the Gielen. Cheers.

I am a Tennstedt/ late Bernstein/Abbado/Chailly Mahler listener but bought Bertini after watching this. I am enjoying the slightly different tempo relationships that always make complete sense. Up to the third so far and that is the best trombone playing I have ever heard. Recordings date from mid 80's - '90s but the recorded sound is superb in spite of different engineers and locations. Bertini is much luckier than Tennsted in this regard in spite of similar recording dates and both being EMI. Many thanks for the recommendation!

Thanks for doing this talk! My desert island Mahler cycle, gun to my head, would be Kubelik. Even though his live versions are generally better, I feel like I could totally live with each performance in this box if I had to. I just enjoy his approach, it always makes me smile

How do you feel about the "Complete Mahler Symphonies by Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic from Sony Classical"? Should I get the one you recommended or this one? Thank you.

Thanks for this Dave! One minor point. Maazel’s Second set was actually the download only set with the NYPO. I think it’s actually his best one.

Hello! Thanks for the video! What options would you recommend for someone trying to purchase High Resolution versions (88.2 khz/24 bit and up) of Mahler cycles? I know the options are more limited, and thus far, the only "complete" ones I can find are the Kubelik and Haitnik ones. Failing that, what performances would be the best options to "assemble" one? I know those are difficult questions to answer, but I'm relatively new to purchasing classical music in general and am unfamiliar with this composer to boot, which is making choosing stuff difficult. (I'm wanting to purchase Mahlers stuff in large part due to Symphony 5 - Adagietto, which is in the 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music set by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In general, I'm trying my best to hunt down all the stuff by the composers on that box set.) Thank you for your time, and for your comprehensive reviews! I hope you have a wonderful day! :)

Thanks for this and the other Mahler talks. They are very helpfull. I collect the symphonies seperately. I have a good Day, listening to You and then finding Muti with the 1st. A complete Muti Mahler cykle 😏

All we need from Chailly is a commercial recording of Das Lied von der Erde, then Decca can put all of his Mahler recordings in a giant box and it will be a single-conductor Mahler collection for the ages. I'm surprised he doesn't have a DLvdE yet, of all things. It may have to be with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra at this point. Also, Chailly's incomplete Mahler symphony video cycle with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig features even better interpretations, believe it or not. It's absolutely the best video cycle out there (sorry Abbado). This guy really knows his Mahler.

Maybe there's a talk in the not-quite-complete-Mahler-cycle cycles. I'm thinking in particular of Levine, Kubelik/BRSO (which you graciously hat tip) and Rosbaud (which, of course, has an excellent video all to itself). I mention these because I think I'd prefer them to a lot of the complete ones you surveyed here. Surprisingly successful although not complete. Sort of like Mahler agonizing about finishing a symphony numbered the "ninth" thinking that would be his last. A not quite complete Kondrashin cycle kicking around as well, if I recall correctly.

Thanks for this thorough survey. Regarding Ozawa's 1st. With whom is the performance in the box you're holding? Is it Boston as well?

Having read the rave critics referred to here, I remember buying Rattle's Birmingham Mahler 2 in vinyl for pence as a library cast-off. The record looked in perfect nick and I was so excited to get it back and play it. It took about eight minutes to conclude that Rattle's reading was the worst I'd heard, "mannered and ridiculous and narcissistic" (I know this referred to one of Maazel's, but the term combo. does seem to have plenty of applications.

Great video David. Yes indeed Chailly is the man I couldn't agree more. And that Bertini 8 is terrific. Speaking of Neumann I think he did a few symphonies like 5 and 7 better with the Gewandhaus in Leipzig on Berlin Classics. Anyway all your recommendations are spot on. Mahler I agree is a difficult composer to box under one conductor alone. Perhaps Bernstein's two boxes are the closest we get. Cheers !

Great survey, Dave, thank you! I suppose a Mahler Dudamel cycle will materialize sooner than later. I got his latest take on the 8th (with the LAPO) - honestly, I don't know what to make of it... It's very well played, the sonics sound great to me, but the tenor has a weird voice and the general approach appears to gain in symphonic sweep at the expense of emotional depth.

I too was delightfully surprised by Abravanal's Mahler. The fifth I thought was very fine.

I really love Chailly's cycle as a whole, with many of the individual recordings being my favorites. I was 'lured' in, a long time ago, by the official reviewers to many of your 'bad' cycles/recordings (Rattle, Nott), and I don't ever listen to them anymore. As a sidenote, Rattle's Mahler/Cook 10 with Berlin is my favorite recording of that work. I own the Bertini cycle, and I should listen to it more, because I seldom do (because I prefer other performances of all the individual symphonies, and I listen to them mostly). I have begun to listen to Gielen, and I am really thinking about getting his complete Mahler cycle (or at least some of his Mahler recordings - I already own the 'In Memoriam Michael Gielen' 2-CD set: his latest Mahler 6 recording is just perfect for me). One little trivia thing to laugh about, for you all: I love Abbado's Berlin Mahler 8.

Thanks to the review at Classics Today some time ago, I got Bertini on EMI. Thank you!

You mentioned that you consider Tennstedt's live Mahler 5 a "smoker." Any chance we could get a video on your favorite "smoker" performances? Not so much for Mahler but in general.

Apart from the single-conductor boxes there are some mixed "let's throw in what we have or can license for cheaps" box sets too. I always enjoyed that Brilliant Classics complete symphonies set with some Dutch recordings (Vonk, Haenchen, nice 4 but underplayed 2 and fluffy 6), some Neumann and Masur in Leipzig (5, 7, 9 , all pretty solid) and the odd ones out: Simonov's 1st (meh), Horenstein's "classic" 3rd (what's all the fuzz about?) and Järvi's exciting Gothenborg 8th. As much a mix of succesful and not so as most of the single-conductor sets.

When I moved to Boston in the early eighties, the critics were intent on running Ozawa out of town, and in truth, his concerts near the end could be very routine. Funny how his BSO discography has stood the test of time quite well. I often find myself surprised at how good some of his recordings are.

I have the Lenny Bernstein blue and orange box that has his face on it from Sony. I have gotten so much enjoyment out of that box since it was issued in 2001. I would be interested in getting some of the other great interpretations that are highlighted in this video.

Bonjour David, you mention the recordings Neumann made in the 90s with the Czech philharmonic for Canyon (or Exton). The 9th is one of the best I've heard, Indeed my favorite among versions on 1 CD (before Gielen I, Boulez and Gilbert), far better than the Supraphon, I agree. Did you have time to find again this last Neumann 9th in your - I guess, babylonian- library ? If the case, what do you think of it ?

@David. Have you heard the Gabriel Feltz - Stuttgart cycle? I have just started listening to the first, and it is highly enjoyable and as I am following the structure reading from your book, it is easy to follow.

Thank you for this wonderful video! I have the Bernsteins and Kubeliks. I will look into Chailly. Any thought on Valery Gergiev’s with the LSO?

I have the Chailly Mahler collection, why because I sang as a young boy in one of the boychiores, so I have a sentimental attachment with Chailly, who was a great conducteur. I was a little disapointed about the recording mastering quality of the performances since I was there live on the stage with the live recording of the 8th symphony. Chailly really understands Mahler and his collection shows it.

Hey David: I know there is the Maazel craziness but I was curious what you thought of his CBS/Sony Mahler cycle with Vienna. The sound is so fine and I know everyone adores the 4th (have it on right now) but out of that cycle would you recommend any of the others? I know number 2 got a big thumbs down. Curious if you liked any of the others? Thank you!

I used to wonder if my failure to respond to Rattle (in *any* symphonies, not just in Mahler's) was evidence of my being invincibly stupid, since British critics always spoke of him as being scarcely less than the Fourth Person of the Holy Trinity. It's therefore a relief to learn from this video that Dr. Hurwitz, who knows far more about Mahler performances than I ever will, can't summon up much enthusiasm for Rattle's recorded work either.

Hi again, I'm assuming you have probably done this already but I just haven't seen it. Have you reviewed the release of complete Mahler Symphonies by the Berlin Philharmonic. Thank you

Dave, I completely agree with your top recommendation. Chailly is very impressive overall... I personally like his 2nd, the finale especially is very well done, I think. Gielen and Bernstein, really top notch. I personally never felt so much for Bertini. I bought the set when it came out, following the little hype that surrounded it. But I wasn't really impressed that much, it never grew on me. I think it's well played, very well recorded but lacks refinement in many spots. I truly believe Ozawa deserves more credit though: it's a very fine set and underappreciated. And there's a lot to be said for many of the other sets in individual symphonies... Wether it's Sinopoli, Kubelik, MTT, Boulez or even Zinman. Nice video!

I agree with your top recommendations. My top two would be Kubelík and Chailly. I can’t choose a favorite of them. They also musically compliment each other very nicely. I also love the Bertini, Gielen, and Columbia Bernstein. I used to like the DG ones but now I find them a bit too melodramatic and egotistical for me, like a far better version of the Maazel cycle you first mentioned (again, FAR better than the Maazel though). Call me boring, but I just like when conductors don’t fuss with the score. Kubelík and Chailly give it to me straight.

For me the main points here are... Don't buy Mahler boxes Sample - and construct a playlist from your favourites. Because your favourites will probably change over time anyway. Chailly. Fine, but he doesn't inspire me. Don't know why. Also, it may be my tin ears, but I feel the recordings sometimes have too much reverb, which is daft when the Amsterdam hall has such great natural sound. Also I think the Abbado Chicago 7th is fabulous. Loved this talk David and have been hugely impressed by the Ozawa/Saito Kinen 2nd which I'd never considered until you championed it. Thanks again from across the pond.

You've now done a complete Mahler Cycle cycle. Thanks for the always enjoyable work! Now you need to redo your talks on 7 and 8, since they were brief and didn't get the Full Hurwitz. I've been listening with some great pleasure (some) recently to Abbado's first box . In part this was inspired by your discussion of the Chicago 5th as one of the great 5ths. I listened to it, and boy is it ever! This one ought to have been in the box rather than his Berlin remake. The Chicago 6th is good, but the strings are recorded in such a dry and brittle way that I find them distracting. The Chicago 7th is one of the absolute best out there, even if Abbado seems slightly embarrassed by the cowbells. What I was most surprised by, however, were the Vienna 3rd and 9th. They're both really quite good! The first movement of the 3rd is particularly fine, with some examples of Abbado at his fussy best. The way he gets the cellos to attack the run at 36 is the most "Wild" (the score's marking) I've ever heard; it must have taken days to practice that. The Vienna 9th is really first class in the initial three movements, and the recorded sound is perfectly idiomatic for Mahler's sound world (I recently did an A/B comparison with this recording and Alan Gilbert's on BIS and found the latter a little too silky and smooth in the sound department). I think the Abbado box would have been stronger overall had they just boxed up his Chicago and Vienna recordings (thereby leaving the 8th out altogether). Again, thank you!

on the cycles and massive box releases- what was your reaction to the labels selling the "Complete Everything We Currently Own The Rights To Le Sacre du printemps" collections? Something like 75 in one box and 100 others in another? Insane. I totally passed and stuck to my collection as it is.

Thank you for drawing attention to Sir Simon’s prattle….agree with you completely

I am old enough to remember when the Schwann catalog (anyone remember what that was?) had only a handful of listings for a couple of symphonies.

I think the Zinman recordings are only in SACD sound on the individual RCA issues and the Sony box is just Red Book CD.

Dave, I have both Bernstein cycles and wouldn't want to be without them both. A few years ago, I wanted to collect all of Bernstein's Mahler in honor of his 100th birthday. I thought the Berlin 9th to be my favorite for a while, but I honestly would've never known about the trombones if you or others hadn't brought it to my attention! It makes me wonder if Leonard Bernstein would mind if I gave up both it and the LSO 2nd.

Excellent overview of a really difficult topic. My favorite part was the comparison of performances from the Bernstein cycles. You're right. You can make the best Mahler cycle ever if you pick between the two Bernsteins. However, I find it even more difficult. For example, BOTH versions of the Sixth are a treasure but in different ways! The New York Philharmonic one is more driven and intense in the first three movements, but the Vienna Philharmonic version's finale is orders of magnitude better! What's worse, you can't even just paste the first three movements from New York to the last movement from Vienna because they wouldn't make sense together. It takes the somewhat slower pace from Vienna in the beginning to get to that amazing finale. The agony of being a Mahler fan!

I just ordered a box; I'm scared. So many choices and my head is spinning. I've never heard any Mahler in its entirety, but only the occasional excerpt. Based on what was readily available and cost of different sets, I chose the Bernstein DG box to start. It seemed a bit less available than the Sony. Is that a sign? I don't know, but the other sets in the highest praised category were either "currently unavailable" or quite pricey due to apparent scarcity. I want to do this right, so later I can add the seemingly more available Sony. Thank you for your kindly guidance.

Dear David, thank you for another great video. Please make a "Best and worst Mozart Requiem" video too.

Thanks. You saved me from wasting money on the Rattle set

Hello Dave! I would like to ask you about your opinion of Kubelik's Mahler on Audite. Is it better than his studio recordings? And I also wonder about Haitink's Mahler recordings in Berlin.I suppose you don't like them but I do . What went wrong in your opinion? Best wishes Fred.

This is really an above and beyond great presentation, Dave. some random stuff: Care to comment on Inbal's cycle? A note to those contemplating Chailly's cycle. When they came out as single symphonies, Decca included other music: New Vienna School, Diepenbrock, Mahler arrangement of a Bach suite. This would float the boats of some people (like me), but you have to put up with the hassle of buying singles for questionable availability and for (considerably) more money. still, something to consider Bernstein's Mahler 8 on video from Vienna is worth a look for me for the act and facial expressions Bernstein does at the beginning on the podium to motivate the forces involved before a single note is sounded. What a charismatic maniac!

I often see the Tilson-Thomas editions around; any thoughts on those performances/recordings?

Great survey! Thanks Dave. My favourites are Boulez and Bertini. I like Ozawa, but my main issue is that with repeated listenings the number of orchestral bloopers (especially in nos. 2 and 7) is offputting. To be specific, the trumpets...

I had to laugh that it was the Maazel box you first went for as an example for a bad cycle. Just a couple of days ago I gave this one a try on a whim, was a little intrigued at first, but by the time the second symphony started I got thoroughly annoyed, if not even bored, by the approach. I mean, if I wanted to listen to Mahler at 0.75 speed I might just as well slow the tape myself.

I had heard a couple of the Abravanel performances back in the day and was not impressed. But on your recommendation, I looked up the finale of the fourth -- it's on KZfaq -- and very soon came THAT close to weeping like a girl. Natania Davrath is IT. She's the performer I've wanted to hear for nearly half a century. Without realizing it, Mahler wrote this movement for her. And now I'll listen to the rest of your recommendations. My own pick? I dunno. I grew up with Mahler in Lenny-vision, and that experience will always mean a lot to me.

One conduct’s Mahler cycle I would love to see is Honeck. He has a Mahler 5 he did in the Philharmonie on KZfaq that is just phenomenal in my opinion.

Apart from the 10th, Rattle also did an excellent Klagende Lied - if we want to expand the Mahler cycle to include that early work.

Regarding the studio Tennstedt box: ONLY the one DH showed in this video has those wonderful live 5-7 performances. Other box issues with different covers have ONLY the studio performances, and those aren't even cheaper than this one that you do want. FYI. FWIW.

The CBSO are my local (though still an hour away) professional symphony orchestra. The only Mahler I've heard them perform live was 8, with Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla in January 2020, and on that occasion they were fabulous! My Mahler 2 CD (well, 2 CD set) also happens to be Rattle with the CBSO, but recorded in Watford before they had Symphony Hall - not sure if that's the Mahler 2 in your Rattle set. I found that recording excellent, but then again, I have only my own amatuer performances (most recently with Leamington Sinfonia conducted by Joe Davies in 2023) to compare that with, so maybe I'm missing something even better.

I think I was 16 or 17 when my dad bought me the Chailly box, before that I had listened to classical music a lot but had never owned my own "box". Man did I devour those CDs. I'm happy I can listen to them digitally now but those were really my introductions to more in-depth listening and to Mahler. After hearing quite a few other Mahler performances (predominantly Haitink since I am Dutch and my dad really likes Haitink) I always returned to my own Chailly box, vastly preferring those performances. I obviously thought this must have been nostalgia and my comfort zone but for the past few years I've heard time and time again that I was just lucky with that box - it's an all-time classic collection!

I heard Sinopoli conduct a live Mahler 9th that was totally unmoving. That's an achievement in itself.

I also must say I am tempted to buy the stinky Svetlanov cycle for kicks but it seems to be obscenely expensive.

From the UK - I have the Bertini set - given a "Get it while you can" recommendation from "Gramophone" over here and available at an unmissable bargain price.

Just found that Solti’s Mahler cycle issued back in 1970s has all the versions uncle Dave mentioned here! So Solti worth a shot for complete cycle! In vinyl! Yay! Apparently back then they know these stuff as good as anyone out there. And it just goes to show how the industry changed over the year completely.

I agree that the Rattle Mahler 10th is outstanding.

The Bertini set absolutely knocked me out with how wonderful those performances are. I had never heard of him and stumbled upon that set, wow, so powerful and consistently powerful. Similar remarks on the Chailly except I had expected that of him. The Tilson Thomas has had a large impact on young up and coming conductors in terms of interpretation, perhaps the biggest influence since Bernstein. The Solti set with Chicago has some great moments, even if some of the interpretations are disjointed or sometimes disconnected. The brass playing on that set is still a reference point for every living brass player in this repertoire. The recent Vanska cycle was so disappointing, he knows the rep so well but seems to just get lost in "refined" playing that is unutterably boring every other recording he makes. Oh well

What are some of the reference recordings of Mahler 2? Something with the same intensity as Bernstein's?

Thanks! I am struggling to find the Chailly CD box, and can't get it even on amazon, any ideas?

Thank you for your recommendations! They have really helped me enjoy Mahler more. It is interesting that you mention Simon Rattle’s cycle because when I started my Mahler journey, the first Mahler CD I bought was Rattle’s 5th with Berlin on EMI and I hated it. It put me off so much that I avoided Mahler for many years. I just thought the music was not for me. However, also interestingly enough, it was Abbado who really got me back to listening to Mahler (his first DG cycle). It is interesting because you don’t talk about it at all and in your other videos you consistently don’t consider his Mahler to be any good. Having said that, I love most of your top recommendations including Bernstein, Haitink, Bertini and Chailly, though I find the first movement of his 6th to be extremely slow and boring.

There is a newer Bernstein DGG boxset with additional song cycles which is very nice to have. Chailly box I expected to see but it came as a surprise in the end over (possibly) Bernstein Sony box. Still, great choice!

Chailly still hasn't recorded Das Lied... I hope he corrects that omission at some point.

Mr. Hurwitz, did you review the Inbal cycle? Frankfurt on Denon, I believe. And all live, if memory serves me well.

As a young musician in the early 1970's, Abravanel's Mahler cycle was all I could afford and it was how I came to know the symphonies. Later in life, as an experienced musician with a bit more cash, I acquired other, more "celebrated" sets and to this day I keep the Kubelik set around as a baseline reference. (Bernstein's NYPO box never excited me - the orchestra sounds seedy at times and the vocalists are unreliable.) Recently, however, I have returned to the Utah versions and found how deeply impressed I continue to be by them. Yes, the orchestra is not top tier (there are the occasional clunkers), but the Mormon Tabernacle acoustics and choir are wonderful and the Dolby recordings warm, unfussy, and remarkably clear - as are Abravanel's interpretations. I would choose his sensible yet cannily theatrical instincts over most of the recent *star* conductors of today who try to make their mark with questionable "personal nuances". Davrath in No. 4 is perfection. Sill's contribution is small, but hearing her soar over the mass forces behind her in No. 2 delivers a sort of cosmic thrill other performances miss. This is more than nostalgia for my early days of Mahler discovery. This is solid, satisfying Mahler conducting. Abravanel's set is certainly not a first choice, but as a supplement (at a bargain price) it is one to seriously consider adding to a collection.

There’s more Mahler cycles than great conductors. Although it wouldn’t be a perfect one…I wish we had a complete one with Klemperer. Ah, the grumpy uncle of music, Otto! 🎵

Re Haitink's cycle, I agree with you but I did really love the 5th's finale (one of my all time favorite Mahler movements- such jubilation). The 9th is awesome; he really gets beautiful and even humorous melodies from the strings. Overall really damn good cycle, though I suppose not as authentic 'Mahlerian' as Bernstein.

Apart from having many loose recordings of the Mahler symphonies, as far as complete sets are concerned I have the complete Haitink (agree with you that his second recoding of no.1 is better and his no. 6 is a miss - Haitink never got no.6 right). And I also have the complete Kubelik. VERY satisfied indeed with both sets. But my favorite set - after listening to it a number of times, despite anyone's opinion regarding it, remains BOULEZ - and all of them. I find it a utterly thrilling set! Many criticise his no.6, but no.6 is exactly the Boulez Mahler that got me to buy his whole set. That is how taste differs. But after reading many reviews by numerous critics over many years , I have come to the conclusion that there are no other set of musical works about which musical critics differ as much as the issue regarding which are the best Mahler symphony recordings. Ask a 100 different critics for their preferred recordings of nos. 1 to 9 and you will get a 100 different combinations.