Bob Kasenchak wrote:

>Cent 1: I really discovered Mahler for the first time with the cool
>(if not excellent) set on Conifer Classics with Gilbert Kaplan (a Mahler
>scholar, not a professional conductor) and I think the LSO.  The worst part
>is that, on the 2 CD set, the 1st movement is on the end of CD1 and the
>rest begins CD2.  Annoying.

But it forces the pause that Mahler asks for beteween movements which was
Kaplan's main reason for doing it like that.  It's not a bad recording when
you consider that Kaplan only ever conducts this (and one movement from the
Fifth) but there are so much better recordings to be had.

>Cent 2: Mahler has fascinated me since.  I still hold No. 2 dear, with
>the fave probably being (agreeing w.  Mr. Satz) No. 4.
>Reccomendations of recordings of Sym 4?  (With soloists names please?)

The usual suspects are: Szell with Raskin on Sony, Kletzki with Loose of
Royal Classics (my own marginal favourite), Britten with Carlyle on BBC
Legends, Barbirolli with Harper on BBC Legends.

Tony Duggan
Staffordshire,
United Kingdom.