Top 3 Favorite Mahler Works

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Das Lied von der Erde
Symphony 1
Symphony 3

[Mirror Image]

7 and 9
Kindertotenlieder, although they're such an overwhelming emotional experience, one almost hesitates to list them, plus the thought of Mahler's loss of Maria lends even more Leid to the Lieder and then there's the troubling thought the songs may be cursed...ok, I just talked myself into switching to Das Lied von der Erde. (Sorry, John, it may look like I was squeezing in another Mahler in defiance of your guidelines,  but honestly not the case).

No worries, my friend.

To all: great lists!

[Mahlerian]

No worries, my friend.

To all: great lists!

The only poor list I can imagine would be something like:

Piano Quartet
Im Lenz
Die drei Pintos completion

[Mirror Image]

The only poor list I can imagine would be something like:

Piano Quartet
Im Lenz
Die drei Pintos completion

And you probably won't ever see a list like this either.

[Brian]

Symphony No. 3
Wunderhorn
Symphony No. 4

[Mirror Image]

Symphony 3 (a new discovery for me having heard it live recently).

The 3rd is one I rediscovered and was completely blown away by it. This is monster of a symphony, but extremely compelling IMHO. Really puts my mind someplace else entirely.

[Spineur]

Das Lied von der Erde
Des knaben wunderhorn
Symphony no 4

[North Star]

Rückert-Lieder
Symphony No. 7
Symphony No. 9

[Sergeant Rock]

My three, including top 2 favorite performances

Symphony No. 6  Solti/Chicago; Szell/Cleveland
Symphony No. 4  Maazel/Battle/Vienna; Honeck/Sunhae Im/Pittsburgh
Symphony No. 10 (Cooke)  Ormandy/Philadelphia; Levine/Philadelphia

Sarge

[vandermolen]

The 3rd is one I rediscovered and was completely blown away by it. This is monster of a symphony, but extremely compelling IMHO. Really puts my mind someplace else entirely.

Seeing it live was amazing.

[Papy Oli]

Pretty easy call...for the top two, that is :

# 2
# 6
# 1

 

[Heck148]

#9, #5, #6;
DLvdE rates very highly also.

[Androcles]

7,9,10

[Mirror Image]

Seeing it live was amazing.

I bet. Who was the conductor, soprano, and orchestra?

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Ah yes, live Mahler is always incredible. I have seen the 3rd in concert last December and it certainly blew me away! Prior to that concert I was relatively unfamiliar with it compared to the other Wunderhorn symphonies.

[Jay F]

Symphony No. 6 is always No. 1 with me. Though I have owned many versions since 1987, when I started listening to Mahler, I have liked Bernstein's recording on CBS more than any other. It is my single favorite piece of music in any style.

Thanks to so much mention here on GMG lately, Symphony No. 3 is today's No. 2. My preferred versions are Bernstein's on CBS and Abbado's first recording (Wiener Philharmoniker).

Symphony No. 2 is in place No. 3 today. I like practically every version. I know absolutely nothing about music except what I like, and this symphony is to me like Mozart's Piano Concertos in that I pretty much like every version. In complete contradiction with everything I've written so far, the only version I haven't liked much was Bernstein's Ely Cathedral recording, the one that had the yellow cover in the first US CD release on CBS. The sound quality was so harsh on my then current stereo. I first enjoyed Simon Rattle's CBSO recording, then Bernstein's DG recording. And then Bernstein's first NYPO version on LP, and the older Solti recording, and one by Klemperer. Lots and lots of good No. 2s.

Nos 7 and 8 often appear in my top 3 as well. 

[Marc]

At the moment:

#4
#9
#5 and Rückert-Lieder (dead heat)

The Rückert-Lieder are simply beautiful (prefer them in the order Ich atmet'.../Liebst du um.../Blicke mir nicht.../Um Mitternacht/Ich bin der Welt...), and I consider those three symphonies as Mahler's most consistent works, whatever that means.

[Wanderer]

Glad to see so much love for the Third and the Tenth. 

[vandermolen]

Glad to see so much love for the Third and the Tenth. 

I also like No.10 10 (Adagio) and an alternative list would consist of 10 (Adagio),6 and 5.

[Brian]

I bet. Who was the conductor, soprano, and orchestra?

I've seen Mahler's Third live three times:

1. Warsaw PO, Antoni Wit, and I think Ewa Wolak?
2. Houston Symphony, Andres Orozco-Estrada, forget who the mezzo-soprano was
3. San Antonio Symphony, Sebastian Lang-Lessing

It was impressive each and every time, but the Warsaw/Wit concert is the single best concert I've ever been to. Never experienced another orchestra at that standard of playing.

That said, the NYPO/Bychkov Mahler 6 I saw earlier this year was pretty amazing! And a Houston/Alsop M1 was one of that orchestra's best performances. Mahler really does bring out the best in the band, live.