After doing some research I have compiled the list I most want for Mahler's symphonies. Comments appreciated. If you think I am totally off the mark on a particular recording then let me know. The ones I have already bought are in red.


no.1 Kubelik

no.2 Mehta

no.3 Abbado Jessye Norman version

no.4 Bernstein Sony

no.5 Bernstein DG live

no.6 Abbado live

no.7 Abbado live (same series as 6)

no.8 Solti

no.9 Barbirolli / Karajan ? should I get the famous karajan one?

no.10 Kubelik ( I don't want the Cooke version for now )

What? No Chailly, Rattle, Tennstedt, Haitink, Barenboim, Inbal, Maazel, Ozawa, Sinopoli, Zinman, Neumann, Boulez, Bertini, etc. These are all outstanding Mahler conductors too.

I think he wants one of each rather than 15 box sets! Cheaper that way I imagine...

But that is too many conductors for only nine complete symphonies. who are Inbal, Neumann and Bertini? Are they very old recordings? I tend to go on a mixture of top recommendations from BBC 3, Penguin, Rough Guide and Gramophone as well as Amazon reviews and having some clue of the conductors from other CDs I own. I have strangely never seen Sinopoli mentioned above any of the other conductors although I know he is supposed to be a top Mahlerian. Maybe there is some kind of bias. I would have gotten Rattle for number 2 or 10 but it is too late
Barenboim is surely not of the calibre of Bernstein or Barbirolli as regards Mahler? Boulez is brilliant yes but his kind of Mahler is a bit detached for my liking. I very nearly got him conducting the 3rd but again more positive things were said about Bernstein and Abbado - that these, from a large consensus of people, are definitive.
You have opened some doors here though. I like that I know that Mahler is a tricky one cos the list of potential great performances is obviously huge, as much or more than even Beethoven or at least there are a lot of people with strong opinions on the issue.

J

yes, no boxed sets

By the way, I have Chailly and Haitink for the songs

Let me be quite frank with you, Rough Guide, Penguin, BBC, and Gramophone don't have a clue as to what to recommend. They would be my last resort for any kind of information about a recording. They definitely don't know anything about Mahler.

Having that said, I think you will find all Mahler fans will point to one box set for consistency: the Gary Bertini set on EMI. Bertini is joined by the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, which in my opinion, held their own in set. This is the most consistently rewarding cycle of Mahler available on the market. No Mahler fan would disagree with these statements.

In the end, you do what you want to, I probably own more Mahler recordings than anyone on this forum, so I'm completely guilty of going overboard with his music, which will happen as soon as you really start sinking your teeth into the music.

Allow me to give you my own list for greatest Mahler recordings:

Sym. 1 - Kubelik
Sym. 2 - Rattle
Sym. 3 - Salonen
Sym. 4 - Haitink
Sym. 5 - Chailly
Sym. 6 - Abbado
Sym. 7 - Tilson Thomas
Sym. 8 - Solti
Sym. 9 - Karajan
Sym. 10 Adagio - Bernstein

That's my list. Take it or leave it.

Thanks for the list. It's interesting. We agree in any case on a few of them. I must look into Tilson Thomas for 7. I like 7 and wanted a really good recording.

'That's my list. Take it or leave it' ..... what's with the defensive attitude ? I am posting here for love of music not to score points. This is not a personal criticism.
I do find it a little odd that you think none of a whole list of impartial critics from various sources are all wrong. Having said that you didn't mention Bertini for a single symphony so in any case I won't be going down that road. I do need to listen to him though as a matter of interest. You have aroused my interest. Anyone else have any opinions on this??

J

Most magazine writers are wrong. First of all, most critics know nothing about music. They don't know what it takes to become a musician or a composer and how hard it is, so what they do and how they think they're helping musicians out is by giving criticism of it. Critics belong to the barbaric and ruthless crowd known as "the media."

That's why I don't need someone from a magazine telling me what's good or not. I'll find that out for myself.

I didn't have to mention Bertini, because he excels in all the symphonies. Didn't you read what I wrote about his cycle?

As far as my own list is concerned, this is a merely "off the top of my head" type of list. This could change everyday and this is why these lists are really pointless, because you're going to buy whatever you want to anyway, right?

Anyway, Mahler is a very complex composer. Many conductors and orchestras have performed his music, and there are better Mahler conductors than Bernstein and that's a fact.

Bertini, Kubelik, Chailly, Tennstedt, and Abbado have recorded, in my opinion, the best Mahler symphony cycles.

OK well some critics I'm sure don't know what they are talking about but perhaps some do know something about music and if a lot agree and are presumably not in league then perhaps there is something to what they say. That's by the by anyway.
I am a composer and pianist myself and I agree that lists like this are not foolproof. It's really just a curiosity. I also don't have the money to try out a number of Mahler cycles sadly so again that's why here is a good place to get some ideas from other people. There are many ways to approach Mahler and I for one have learned something.
I can't it seems get Bertini's symphonies on seperate discs, which is a drawback. Your point about Bertini therefore being that if his symphonies were individually for sale they would all be equal if not better than any of the other conductors. That's what I understand by what you say.
As for you saying the list could change every day. Maybe I am looking for your favorite versions then and that would be highly personal. Anyway, again thanks for the information.
Food for thought.

J

I'm not sure why the Bertini cycle isn't available individually. It's probably because Bertini isn't a top drawer name like Kubelik, Abbado, or Bernstein. Whatever the case may be, this set is the only way you can buy it.

I don't have a favorite Mahler performance, because all the recordings I own offer they're own unique insights into this man's music, which can be and has been interpreted in many, many ways.

Here is my Mahler collection:

- Symphony No. 1 "Titan" And Symphony No. 10 "Adagio"
Orch: NY Philharmonic
Cond: L. Bernstein
Label: Sony

- The Complete Symphonies (12-CD set)
Orch: NY Philharmonic
Cond: L. Bernstein
Label: Sony

- Symphony No. 4 (Hybrid SACD)
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: Fritz Reiner
Label: RCA

-Symphonies 1-10 (10-CD set)
Orch: Bavarian Radio Symphony
Cond: Rafael Kubelik
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Atlanta Symphony
Cond: Yoel Levi
Label: Telarc

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: Atlanta Symphony
Cond: Yoel Levi
Label: Telarc

-Symphony No. 8
Orch: Atlanta Symphony
Cond: Robert Shaw
Label: Telarc

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: Atlanta Symphony
Cond: Yoel Levi
Label: Telarc

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: Atlanta Symphony
Cond: Yoel Levi
Label: Telarc

-Symphony No. 2/Symphony No. 10 (2-CD set)
Orch: Atlanta Symphony
Cond: Yoel Levi
Label: Telarc

-Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection”
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond: Zubin Mehta
Label: Decca

-The Complete Symphonies (10-CD set)
Orch: London Philharmonic
Cond: Klaus Tennstedt
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 9
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 10
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 8
Orch: City of Birmingham Symphony
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: City of Birmingham Symphony
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: City of Birmingham Symphony
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: City of Birmingham Symphony
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 2 (2-CD set)
Orch: City of Birmingham Symphony
Cond; Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 9
Orch: Czech Philharmonic
Cond: Karel Ancerl
Label: Supraphon

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond: L. Bernstein
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 1/Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels
Orch: Czech Philharmonic
Cond: Karel Ancerl
Label: Supraphon

-Symphony No. 1; Songs of the Wayfarer
Orch: Bavarian Radio Symphony
Cond: Rafael Kubelik
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 8
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: Georg Solti
Label: Decca

-Symphony No. 6; Zemlinsky: 6 Maeter Link
Orch: Royal Concertgebouw
Cond: Riccardo Chailly
Label: Decca

-Symphony No. 10
Orch: Cincinnati Symphony
Cond: Jesus Lopez-Cobos
Label: Telarc

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Karajan
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: James Levine
Label: RCA

-Symphony No. 3 (2-CD set)
Orch: City of Birmingham Symphony
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: Claudio Abbado
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond: Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

-Symphonies 1 & 9
Orch: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic
Cond; Andrew Litton, Libor Pesek
Label: Virgin Classics

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond; Lorin Maazel
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Karajan
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 10
Orch: Bournemouth Symphony
Cond: Sir Simon Rattle
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 1; Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen
Orch: NY Philharmonic
Cond: Kurt Masur
Label: Teldec

-10 Symphonies (12-CD set)
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic
Cond: Claudio Abbado
Label: DG

-The Symphonies (10-CD set)
Orch: Royal Concertgebouw
Cond: Bernard Haitink
Label: Philips

-Symphony No. 9
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond; Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

-The Symphonies (12-CD set)
Orch: Royal Concertgebouw
Cond; Riccardo Chailly
Label: Decca

-Symphonies 1-10 (15-CD set)
Orch: Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Cond: Eliahu Inbal
Label: Brilliant Classics

-Symphony Nos. 1-10 (14-CD set)
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond: Lorin Maazel
Label: Warner Classics

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: Georg Solti
Label: Decca

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: London Symphony
Cond: Michael Tilson Thomas
Label: RCA

-Symphony No. 1. Blumine
Orch: Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra
Cond: David Zinman
Label: RCA

-Symphony No. 5; Lieder aus Des Kraben
Orch: Finnish Radio Symphony
Cond: Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Andrew Litton, Charles Mackerras
Label: RCA

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Cond: David Zinman
Label: Apex

-Symphony No. 1
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond; Georg Solti
Label; Warner Classics

-Symphony No. 8
Orch: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Cond: Riccardo Chailly
Label: Decca

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond; Daniel Barenboim
Label: Teldec

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: Dresden Staatskapelle
Cond; Sinopoli
Label: Profil

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: London Symphony
Cond: Harold Farberman
Label: Vox

-Symphony No. 10
Orch: Philadelphia Orchestra
Cond: Eugene Ormandy
Label: Sony

-Symphony No. 1
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 9
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: Carlo Maria Giulini
Label: Decca

-Symphony No. 3
Orch: Zurich Tonhalle
Cond; David Zinman
Label: RCA

-Adagio Mahler
Orch: Polish Radio Symphony
Cond; Antoni Wit
Label: Naxos

-Symphony No. 1
Orch: London Philharmonic
Cond: Eugene Ormandy
Label: RCA

-Symphony No. 10
Orch: Royal Concertgebouw
Cond; Riccard Chailly
Label: Decca

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: London Philharmonic
Cond; Jascha Horenstein
Label: Classics for Pleasure (EMI)

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio
Cond; Antoni Wit
Label: Naxos

-Symphony No. 9
Orch: Royal Concertgebouw
Cond: Riccard Chailly
Label: Decca

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: London Symphony
Cond; Harold Farberman
Label: Vox

-Symphony No. 1
Orch: St. Louis Symphony
Cond: L. Slatkin
Label: Telarc

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: NY Philharmonic
Cond; Zubin Mehta
Label: Warner Classics

-Symphony No. 1
Orch: Florida Philharmonic
Cond: James Judd
Label: Hmf

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: NY Philharmonic
Cond; L. Bernstein
Label: Sony

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: London Symphony
Cond: Valery Gergiev
Label: LSO

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: NY Philharmonic
Cond: L. Bernstein
Label: Sony

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: Cleveland Orchestra
Cond: George Szell
Label: Sony

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Philadelphia Orchestra
Cond; James Levine
Label: RCA

-Symphony No 7
Orch: Netherlands Philharmonic
Cond: Hartmut Haenchen
Label: Laserlight

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond; Lorin Maazel
Label: Sony

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: Gran Canaria Philharmonic
Cond; Adrian Leaper
Label: Arte Nova

-Symphony No. 3
Orch: Gran Canaria Philharmonic
Cond: Adrian Leaper
Label: Arte Nove

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: National Symphony Orch. Of Polish Radio and Television
Cond; Michael Halasz
Label: Naxos

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: Zurich Tonhalle Orch.
Cond; David Zinman
Label: RCA

-Symphony No. 2 (2-CD set)
Orch; Zurich Tonhalle Orch.
Cond; David Zinman
Label: RCA

-Symphony No. 5
Orch; Zurich Tonhalle Orch.
Cond; David Zinman
Label; RCA

-Symphonies 1-10 (11-CD set)
Orch: Cologne Radio Symphony
Cond; Gary Bertini
Label; EMI

-The Symphonies (10-CD set)
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: Sir Georg Solti
Label: Decca

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: London Symphony
Cond; Mariss Jansons
Label: LSO

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: Cleveland Orchestra
Cond; Pierre Boulez
Label: DG

-10 Symphonies (15-CD set)
Orch: Sofia Philharmonic
Cond: Emil Tabakov
Label: Capriccio

-Symphony No. 2
Orch: Royal Concertgebouw
Cond; Otto Klemperer
Label: Miesterwerke

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: Berliner Staatskapelle
Cond: Daniel Barenboim
Label; Warner Classics

-Symphony No. 1
Orch: National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio and Television
Cond; Michael Halasz
Label; Naxos

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio and Television
Cond: Antoni Wit
Label: Naxos

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Gerwandhausorchester Leipzig
Cond; Vaclav Neumann
Label: Brilliant Classics

-Symphony Nos. 1 & 3 (2-CD set)
Orch: Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Cond; Zubin Mehta
Label; Decca

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: NY Philharmonic
Cond; Zubin Mehta
Label: Teldec

-Symphony No. 2 (2-CD set)
Orch: London Symphony
Cond; Gilbert Kaplan
Label: MCA

-Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 10 (2-CD set)
Orch: Israel Philharmonic
Cond: Zubin Mehta
Label: Sony

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond; Karajan
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 10
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond; Daniel Harding
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: Utah Symphony Orch.
Cond; Maurice de Abravanel
Label: Silverline

-Symphony No. 6; Strauss: Ein Heldenleben (2-CD set)
Orch: New Philharmonia, London Symphony
Cond: Sir John Barbirolli
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 7 (2-CD set)
Orch: Philharmonia Orch.
Cond; Sinopoli
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 4
Orch; Netherlands Philharmonic
Cond: Hartmut Haenchen
Label: Brilliant Classics

-Symphony No. 4
Orch; Los Angeles Philharmonic
Cond; Esa-Pekka Salonen
Label: Sony

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: New Philharmonia Orch.
Cond: Sir John Barbirolli
Label; EMI

-Symphony No. 1
Orch; Dresden Philharmonic
Cond; Herbert Kegel
Label: Berlin Classics

-Symphony No. 9
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond; Bruno Walter
Label; Classica D’oro

-Symphony No. 1
Orch: Royal Philharmonic
Cond; Yuri Simonov
Label: RPO

-Symphony No. 1; Reger: Ballet Suite
Orch: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Cond; Armin Jordan
Label; Apex

-5 fruhe Lieder; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Orch: Philharmonia Orchestra
Cond; Luciano Berio
Label: Elektra

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: London Symphony
Cond: Rudolf Schwarz
Label: Everest Records

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: New Philharmonia
Cond; Sir John Barbirollio
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Los Angeles Philharmonic
Cond: Zubin Mehta
Label: Decca

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: City of Birmingham Symphony
Cond; Sakari Oramo
Label: Warner Classics

-Symphonies 1 & 5 (2-CD set)
Orch: Philharmonia Orchestra
Cond: Giuseppe Sinopoli
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Radio Symphonicorchester Ljublijana
Cond; Anton Nanut
Label: Platinum Disc Corporation

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Royal Philharmonic
Cond; Frank Shipway
Label; RPO

-Symphony No. 5
Orch: Gürzenich-Orchester Kölner Philharmoniker
Cond; James Conlon
Label: EMI

-Symphony No. 1
Orch: Minnesota Orchestra
Cond; Edo de Waart
Label: Virigin Classics

-Mahler III: Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon (5-CD set)
Orch: Veinna Philharmonic
Cond; L. Bernstein
Label: DG

-Mahler II: Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon (5-CD set)
Orch: NY Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic
Cond; L. Bernstein
Label: DG

-Mahler I: Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon (6-CD set)
Orch: NY Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw
Cond; L. Bernstein
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond; Claudio Abbado
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 1
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Claudio Abbado
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 9
Orch: Berlin Philharmonic
Cond: Claudio Abbado
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 6; Strauss: Ein Heidenleben (2-CD set)
Orch: London Symphony, New Philharmonia
Cond: Sir John Barbirolli
Label: EMI

-Symphonies Nos. 8 & 10 (2-CD set)
Orch: Philadelphia Orch.
Cond: Sinopoli
Label: DG

-Symphony No. 1; Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 3
Orch: Vienna Philharmonic
Cond: Georg Solti
Label: Orfeo D'or

-Symphony No. 9
Orch: Kyoto Symphony
Cond: Uwe Mund
Label: Arte Nova

-Symphony No. 10 (Reconstructed by Joe Wheeler)
Orch: Polish National Radio Symphony
Cond: Robert Olson
Label: Naxos

-Symphony No. 8
Orch: Royal Concertgebouw
Cond: Bernard Haitink
Label: Philips

-Symphony No. 4
Orch: St. Louis Symphony
Cond: Hans Vonk
Label: Pentatone

-Symphony No. 7
Orch: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Cond: Gerard Schwarz
Label: Artek

-Symphony No. 6
Orch: Cleveland Orch.
Cond: George Szell
Label: Sony

-Symphony No. 4 (Hybrid SACD)
Orch: Chicago Symphony
Cond: Fritz Reiner
Label: RCA

-Symphonies 1 & 10
Orch: Chicago Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic
Cond: Claudio Abbado
Label: DG

Wow, very impressive collection and I see it makes choosing a preferred performance of an individual symphony all the more difficult.

Thanks!

Yes, I smash my head against the wall everyday trying to come to terms that I can't choose a preferred performance.

sibling thread/my thoughts: What I would change if repeats had been allowed:
7. Solti/Chicago 8. Solti/Chicago 9. Tennstedt/London Phil.

Titan with Blumine(1) - Israel/Zubin Mehta
Resurrection(2) - Wiener/Zubin Mehta
Purgatorio(3) - Berliner/Haitink + Bayreuth/Mehta
Angelic(4) - Concertgebouw/Solti + Israel/Mehta
Fate (5) - New York/Mehta + Berliner/Abbado
Tragic(6) - Chicago/Solti+ Berliner/Karajan+ Israel/Mehta
Nocturnal (7) - Berliner/Haitink + New York/Bernstein
Magnificent Symphony of a Thousand (8) - Chicago/Solti+London/Bernstein
Death (9) - Wiener/Horenstein +Moscow/Kondrashin
Farewell (10) - Berliner/ Rattle + Philadelphia/Ormandy + New Philharmonia/Wyn Morris