Jonathan Ellis wrote:

>Or is it just that Mahler appeals more to somebody who has just past
>fifty than to somebody a lot younger?

He appealed to me in my twenties (especially the Lieder eines fahrenden
Gesellen -- oh, how I identified with that love-sick wretch!), and now
that I am beyond the big five-oh he still does.

>And where do I go from here? To "Das Lied"? To other symphonies? Tell me
>- I am thirsting for more.....

There was another thread on basically this topic recently.  I think it's
hard to give advice which would hit the spot for everyone, since he arouses
very strong positive and negative feelings in nearly every listener, but
in different ways for each individual.  If you can relate to the 5th, you
can probably deal with any of the symphonies (although many people report
problems digesting the 7th).  Das Lied and the 9th and 10th symphonies are
undoubtedly his most profound works, but the songs, such as Des Knaben
Wunderhorn and Kindertotenlieder, are also very attractive.  I'd say, just
browse around, take your time feeling your way into each piece, and don't
be surprised if you love some things and hate others!

Jon Johanning // [log in to unmask]