HutchFan

I think Levine's Mahler recordings range from very good to excellent. Levine's Fourth with Judith Blegen is one of my favorite recordings of the M4 -- and IMO the strongest in the set. But I also think Levine's Third, Sixth and Seventh are outstanding. To my ears, Levine's way with Mahler is that of an opera conductor. At his best, there's a strong "music drama" quality to the music -- and less of a "through line" compared to conductors with a more orchestral approach. (Perhaps it's not a coincidence that Levine's M4 is my favorite. I think there are fewer navigation pitfalls in this work than any other Mahler symphony.) So, if were to rank Mahler conductors based on my purely subjective and personal preferences, I suppose I'd put Levine on the second tier -- with conductors like Klaus Tennstedt, John Barbirolli, and Hermann Scherchen. ... My top tier choices would be Bruno Walter, Jascha Horenstein, Leonard Bernstein, and Rafael Kubelik. Forced to pick one, I'd almost certainly go with Kubelik. What do YOU think of Levine's Mahler??? NP: Mozart: Symphonies / Marriner, ASMF (Philips)

Sublime.

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 / Levine, Chicago SO, Marilyn Horne, et al (RCA) as heard in this set:

More from Oistrakh's Complete EMI Recordings set. Disc 13: - Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 / Maxim Shostakovich, New Philharmonia O - Khachaturian: Violin Concerto / conducted by the composer, Philharmonia O DSCH's First Violin Concerto is an AMAZING composition -- and this performance is awe-inspiring!!!

Disc 12: - Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole, Op. 23 / Jean Martinon, Philhamonia O - Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 26 / Lovro von Matačić, LSO

Berlioz: Harold in Italy (w/ William Lincer); La mort de Cléopâtre (w/ Jennie Tourel) / Bernstein, NYPO (Sony)

I agree! Their temperaments align and balance so well. NP: Desert-island recordings.

Thanks to all for the kind words.

Agreed. The Concords play the finest version of Ives' First SQ that I've ever heard -- and their Second SQ is outstanding as well.

Thanks kinuta! Absolutely. But right now I'm glad to have both!

I got all fourteen of these classical CDs for $1 each. with Arthur Grumiaux (vn)

From Spanish guitar to French piano:

Earlier: Yesterday afternoon, I took a spill on my motorcycle while riding in the mountains up in North Georgia. I'm OK, but I broke my left clavicle and a few ribs. ... This music makes me feel better. Jug always sounds great, and I'm sure the pain meds I'm taking aren't hurting my enjoyment.