Top 3 Favorite Mahler Works

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This is a going to be a difficult poll for some (including myself), but to add further difficulty: there are two stipulations for this thread you can only name THREE favorite works and not anything above, or below, that number and there can also be no honorable mentions. Sorry folks, but you can't cheat. Not this time.

My 'Top 3' favorite Mahler works (in no particular order):

Symphonies Nos. 3 & 9
Kindertotenlieder

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Easy for me because I'm not a Mahlerian.
The three that have either deeply effected me or gave me very intense enjoyment are:

Symphony no 9
Wunderhorn
Symphony no 6

Very nice list indeed. Love all of those works. Don't worry about you not being Mahlerian right now, but there's still hope for you yet.

[kishnevi]

Symphony 9
Symphony 2
Ruckert Lieder

[Mahlerian]

Symphony No. 6
Das Lied von der Erde
Ruckert-Lieder

Sad to leave out everything else, but es muss sein!

[springrite]

Symphony #9
Symphony #2
Symphony #7




(Honorable mention: Piano Quartet.... just kidding )

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Symphony No. 6
Das Lied von der Erde
Ruckert-Lieder

Sad to leave out everything else, but es muss sein!

I could have easily chosen Ruckert-Lieder, but Kindertotenlieder won the coin toss.

[springrite]

I could have easily chosen Ruckert-Lieder, but Kindertotenlieder won the coin toss.

You are a coin toss. 

[Mirror Image]

You are a coin toss. 

[Dee Sharp]

Symphony No. 6
Das Lied
Symphony No. 10 (Adagio)

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Symphony no. 7
Symphony no. 6

aaaaaaaaand..................................



I can't pick just one more! I do love the 3rd symphony, but do I love it more than the 1st or the 4th or DLVDE? Or Das Klagende Lied which is an utterly remarkable work? What about Kindertotenlieder? Rückert-Lieder? The many songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn which I adore (in orchestral AND piano versions)? I can't pick just one more.

Whatever, I think just as of today I will say Rückert-Lieder is the third on my list.

[Chronochromie]

Symphony No. 7

Das Lied von der Erde

Symphony No. 9

[Wanderer]

This is actually easy.

Symphony No. 2
Symphony No. 8
Symphony No. 9

[GioCar]

In that order, but the 3rd place was very tough...

Des Knaben Wunderhorn - the whole collection, including the earlier Lieder, and the two later ones

Rückert Lieder - 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen' possibly is on the top of my Mahler's list

Symphony No.2

[ritter]

In chronologocal order:

- Symphony No. 4
- Rückert-Lieder
- Symphony No. 9

Same comment on Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen... that GioCar just posted 

[Crassus]

My three:
Symphony No. 3 - All 6 movements are of the highest quality.
Symphony No. 6 - so intense all the way through.
Symphony No. 7 - very original work with a fabulous Scherzo 3rd movement with its ghostly echt Viennese Waltz rhythms.

[Jo498]

First two are easy

9th symphony
Das Lied von der Erde

then probably the 6th symphony (would have been the 5th or 2nd years ago, but I am not that fond of them anymore)

"Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" is my favorite song but I do not care for the rest of the Rückert set.

[TheGSMoeller]

3rd
7th
8th

[anothername]

Easy one, 2-3 and 8

[vandermolen]

Symphony 1 'Titan'

Symphony 9

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

[Ghost Sonata]

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).