Mike writes:

>So why not mix & match? One of these days, when I have a lot of time
>to listen to a whole Mahler Symphony, I'm going to start with the first
>movement of the Seventh, followed by the second and third movements of
>the Third, and ending with the last movement of the Seventh.  (Hopefully
>the keys, by a very lucky coincidence, will be compatible.)

Why not just put a few Mahler CDs on Shuffle Play?  Be sure to include
a songs disc.

I feel I'm uniquely qualified to respond to this.  After all, most of
my posts to this list have to do with Mahler, and look at my e-mail
address.

As an experienced listener like Mike knows, there are countless links
between the various parts of any Mahler symphony -- in fact, of any
symphony -- and if you put disparate parts together....well, that way
madness lies.  There's a context that's lost.

You mention the likely possibility of different keys.  I wouldn't worry
about this.  After all, Mahler switched keys frequently throughout the
course of a symphony.  But key relationships do matter.  One of the main
arguments in performing the 6th's inner movements in Scherzo/Andante
order consists in the fact that the Andante begins in the relative minor
of the ending of the Scherzo; to reverse them would lose that tonal
relationship.

>Now, how crazy is that?

Well....

Mitch Friedfeld, an inveterate completist when it comes to Mahler
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