Donald Satz wrote:

>Rodrigo Ventura wrote:
>
>>Could anyone advise me on the best piece to start exploring these
>>composer's work?
>
>Mahler - I think his 4th symphony is his most accessible, and its
>outstanding quality is a nice bonus.  There are many excellent versions;
>I'm partial to Alexander/Haitink on Philips.

I always advise the 1st first and then take them in order.  The 4th is a
lot more complex than it seems.

Tony Duggan,  England.

My (developing) Mahler recordings survey is at:
http://www.musicweb.force9.co.uk/music/Mahler/index.html