I originally wrote:

>Sadly, I can find little to enthuse about in what I perceive as a cold,
>angular work ...

... and several list members kindly suggested many different recordings,
mainly Ormandy.  Well the search goes on (though I cannot find a score
anywhere).  My current version (borrowed) is the Ministry of Culture SO
(Rozhdezvensky/Melodiya).  I have been to my Amazon account and depleted my
piggy-bank; the versions ordered are (the ones I am betting on marked with
--*):

Royal Scottish National (Jaervi)  --*
Vienna Symphony (Inbal)
CBSO (Rattle)                     --*
LSO (Previn)
Berlin Phil (Karajan)
London Phil (Haitinck)
Prague SO (Maxim Shostakovich)
Philadelphia (Ormandy)            --*
?? (Naxos)
NSO (Rostrapovich)

Of these, not one was available for immediate delivery, and several may not
be available at all.

I shall probably emerge from this with a splitting headache; but to Karl
Miller who said:

>Do you find value in the music of Mahler? To my ears, the Shostakovich
>4th is almost a homage to Mahler

I shall see where on earth you see anything in Sh4 that resembles anything
in Mahler!!  (Having just played in Mahler 2 this weekend and Mahler 9
three weeks ago, I can at least say I have recent appreciation of Mahler's
workings from the inside out
...)

The problem is, that is the fate awaiting me in January when I play in Sh4
and Sh7 (the latter with considerable pleasure, I know).

CR