Cao Yirong wrote: >How about Rattle's Mahler symphony 3? I puzzled about the difference >between it and Walter You would puzzle for a very long time because Walter never recorded the Mahler Third. If you are looking for a modern version of Mahler's Third, superbly recorded and played with a care for detail that takes you deep into the complexities of this remarkable work, look no further than Rattle. Beware, though, of the oboe solo in the fourth movement where Rattle takes Mahler's marking "hinaufziehen" literally. I have never heard an oboist play his/her contribution in this movement like this. A friend who was at one of the live performances prior to the recording described the sound produced as "an extraordinary upwards glissando". It sounds to me like a Tom cat on a wall mewing for a mate on a warm Summer's night. Also Rattle presses forwards in the closing pages of the last movement, robbing the music of some of its grandeur. If you don't necessarily want a very modern version then Horenstein, Kubelik, Bernstein (Sony) are to be preferred. A pity this wasn't done "live". The broadcast of the live performance was even better. Tony Duggan Staffordshire, United Kingdom.