He made overwhelmingly huge climaxes and developed themes and motifs over the course of an entire symphony in a fashion second only to Sibelius. Here are my favorite pieces of Mahler:

Symphony No. 1 in D major
Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor
Symphony No. 6 in A minor, "Tragic" (definitely my favorite)
Das Lied von der Erde
Symphony No. 9 in D major

__________________
"Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n
wirst du, mein Herz, in einem Nu!
Was du geschlagen
zu Gott wird es dich tragen!"
-Gustav Mahler

What can I say, I'm not a fan of Gustav Mahler.
Everything I have listened to sounds like a Requiem (maybe I haven't listened to enough.)
Is anything by him quick and lively? Presto? Vivace? even Allegro? :S

Everything I hear by him is either Adagio, Largo, or Lento. Suggestions?
The only thing I've heard that's interesting is the beginning of the horn solo in No. 9 and then it gets boring :S. Hope I don't get flamed now, lol.

Wow.

Check out Nos. 5, 6 and 7. There are some parts in those which are unforgettable!

Still very lukewarm with Mahler's music.

Favorite symphonies are 1, 5 and most of the 9th (very dark).

I don't enjoy his symphonies with vocal/choral.

everything was fine until you said "second only to Sibelius". Could you prove that for us, please?

Mahler is definitely in my top three composers (i have this habit of ranking absolutely everything)

I just got the Kubelik cycle of Mahler's symphonies, and a lot of the pieces are very good. I especially like 1, 2, 4, and 6 off of this set. For 5 and 9 I have Bernstein and Karajan respectively

My favourite Mahler recording I own is probably Chailly's Symphony No. 3.

When I first heard the opening movement of Symphony number 4 i was quite shocked, as it didn't sound like it expressed usual Mahler themes. Maybe try that one if you want an in to Mahler. I especially like how in the opening the flutes echo the bells.

The Farewell from Song of the Earth I rather like, but I confess, I still haven't clicked with Mahler-- its an aesthetic that I find hard connecting with. I haven't given up on him yet though...

We has about a score's worth of people who let us know their responses to this topic, as well. Not going to disagree with a syllable of this- but in the context of the prior post (someone seeking to "gain traction" with Mahler), I have to go at the mention of 7.

This one would be the last one to cross my mind as a proposal to a Mahler neophyte.Can't really call it lively, but check out the strings in the opening two movements of 5. Even if the "pulse" doesn't strike one as rapid, the agitation of the stringed instruments, I'm sure, doesn't feel anything like slow to those who play it. And, as long as I'm on the topic, you'll find the conclusion of 5 is very lively.

__________________
The hardest knife ill us'd doth lose his edge. Shakespeare- Sonnet 95

Sibelius was known for his cohesive themes through a symphony. That's what I'm meaning. I'm not saying Sibelius was definitely a better composer than Mahler, but there were aspects of both that stood out. Sibelius' seventh symphony is the epitome of developing a theme throughout a symphony, quite possibly the greatest in that respect in history.

I don't mean "Sibelius is better than Mahler." I just mean that Mahler was really great in his development of themes throughout a symphony, second to Sibelius.

I just really hope I don't get flamed...

__________________
"Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n
wirst du, mein Herz, in einem Nu!
Was du geschlagen
zu Gott wird es dich tragen!"
-Gustav Mahler

Well...maybe. Ive just heard it so much that it's become almost as commonplace as the 5th to me.

Don't forget the unfinished Symphony No. 10. Definitely one of my favorite incomplete symphonies by anyone.

second to sibelius? er....nah...i don't think sib is in the ballpark.
to each his own, though.

dj

What I meant by that statement that seems to be sparking such controversy here is that Mahler was only second to Sibelius in cohesive theme development, not necessarily in anything else! That's all!

I don't know if Mahler fans acccept that Mahler is second in anything. I heard that he is better than Kim Jong Il at golf!

I listen to Mahler on and off, I don't listen to him that much now I am older. But, when i was a teenager i used to listen to his symphonies day and night. For some reason, I have gain more appreciation of the 3rd symphony over the years, it's really quite a nice piece. I would recommend the recording by Sinopoli and Philharmonia, and I also heard some wonderful excerpts from Farao Classics's website, the one conducted by Mehta and The Bavarian State Orchestra.
you can listen to the excerpt here:
http://www.farao-classics.de/english...mahler3-e.html