Will Listen to my first Mahler this evening

[OzRadio]

Intrigued by the Mahler discussions, I picked some symphonies up from the library; 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9. I plan to listen to one this evening; I'm looking forward to it.

[The new erato]

[david johnson]

start w/# 2.  you got a bunch of music there!

dj

[Keemun]

Intrigued by the Mahler discussions, I picked some symphonies up from the library; 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9. I plan to listen to one this evening; I'm looking forward to it.

I hope you enjoy them.    Symphonies 2 and 9 are my favorites.  What recordings did you get?

[marvinbrown]

Intrigued by the Mahler discussions, I picked some symphonies up from the library; 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9. I plan to listen to one this evening; I'm looking forward to it.

  Although I do not consider Mahler to be among my most favorite composers Symphony No.2 is REMARKABLE!

  marvin

[Haffner]

Exciting! But it's the 2nd and 3rd and 4thtimes!

[Keemun]

Do you really think so? Of those that OzRadio has checked out, I'd say that the Fourth Symphony is arguably the most accessible for one unaccustomed to Mahler.

I say jump in with both feet and listen to Symphony 2. 

[bassio]

Taken this step when I first joined here .. it was the sixth. 

[Haffner]

If you're EXTRAORDINARILY DARING, try the 9th.

[david johnson]

Do you really think so? Of those that OzRadio has checked out, I'd say that the Fourth Symphony is arguably the most accessible for one unaccustomed to Mahler.

Just my opinion, you understand?

entirely possible...but i started on 1 & 2.

dj

[drogulus]

Taken this step when I first joined here .. it was the sixth. 

     Yeah, baby! 

     Seriously, starting with the 2nd is a good move. You might take them sequentially, which would give you some insight into how Mahler developed over time. That's a big part of the Mahler experience.

[BachQ]

Listen to the Resurrection Symphony (#2) on Easter weekend .......

[DavidW]

I'm pretty slow, it took me like a month to grow into the 2nd.  Maybe you're faster, but still I don't see ya getting the real full whammy out of all those symphonies in one library checkout time.  I echo dj, start with the 2nd.  It is a tremendous work.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Either 1, 2, or 4 seems to me one's best bet for starting with Mahler. The first time I heard 6 and 9 they just went past me. At this point from 8 I like only the first movement.

[OzRadio]

I chose the 2nd, as recommended by several. This recording was done by the San Francisco symphony, looks like a 2004 recording. I'm certainly not the classical afficianado most here are, but I really enjoyed this piece. If I didn't finish it so late I would have played it through again. I never knew what to expect; just when I got comfortable with a passage he'd slap me around and drag me off in another direction. Kept me on my toes. And it was so expressive, alternating between massive emotional highs and lows. Hopefully I can get to it again this morning with minimal interruption from the kids. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Sergeant Rock]

Hey, Oz. The Second was my initial Mahler experience too. Klemperer, borrowed from the library when I was 17. It made a tremendous impression on me. I recall boring my girlfriend to death the next day, describing it to her. I couldn't stop talking about it. Some will think it odd, but of all his music, it was the Fourth Symphony I had trouble getting into...and the Third. For years I couldn't make any headway past that glorious first movement.

Sarge

[greg]

i recommend going from low to high: 4, 6, 8, 9..... that way you save the best for last. 

I chose the 2nd, as recommended by several. This recording was done by the San Francisco symphony, looks like a 2004 recording.

Tilson Thomas? Yep, that's a good recording too, that, Klemperer's, lots of good recordings out there.

[Bonehelm]

I chose the 2nd, as recommended by several. This recording was done by the San Francisco symphony, looks like a 2004 recording. I'm certainly not the classical afficianado most here are, but I really enjoyed this piece. If I didn't finish it so late I would have played it through again. I never knew what to expect; just when I got comfortable with a passage he'd slap me around and drag me off in another direction. Kept me on my toes. And it was so expressive, alternating between massive emotional highs and lows. Hopefully I can get to it again this morning with minimal interruption from the kids. Thanks for the recommendation.

Hey glad you enjoyed M2 but seriously DON'T STOP UNTIL THE WHOLE THING'S DONE! It is universally acknowledged that the finale of the piece is the climax, the zenith, the summit, the whatever you call it....

Seriously, you won't regret it. Listen to the finale. Now. 

[O Delvig]

Make sure you give the 9th a few chances. It was my first Mahler Symphony (Kubelik's) that I really learned to enjoy. The others always seemed too unfocused, and I confess I still don't enjoy them much, though I've started to like the 6th. But the 9th is extraordinary (though it took me a while to get my head around it).

[BachQ]

i recommend going from low to high: 4, 6, 8, 9..... that way you save the best for last. 

Is no. 4 Mahler's "low" numbered symphony?