Robert Stumpf wrote: >I was thinking...a habit I don't recommend, about Mahler as I have been >listening to his 5th by Barbirolli, and began to wonder what is "typcial >Mahler"? I mean, if you had to select one of his symphonies as "typical" >as perhaps an introduction to his 'sound world' which one and why? I can't. There are subtle differences and I cannot begin to select one as typical. Look at things this way: In fact, Mahler wrote only one symphony. But it has eleven "movements" and the eleventh movement was left unfinished. In other words, his whole output was one gigantic work. Tony Duggan, England. [log in to unmask] Mahler survey now contains THIRD Symphony: http://www.musicweb.force9.co.uk/music/Mahler/index.html