Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde : EMI Classics

Mahler considered The Song of the Earth his most personal work, and indeed it is one of his greatest and most moving. Its six sections, sung alternately by the mezzo-soprano and tenor, are set to seven poems from The Chinese Flute, a collection of Chinese lyrics translated into German by Hans Bethge, which echo Mahler's love of nature and contrast the earth's renewal each spring with the transience of human life. Composed after he lost his beloved 4-year-old daughter and was diagnosed with a serious heart ailment, the music encompasses heart-rending anguish and sublime ecstasy; conceived in the shadow of death, it is suffused with a sense of sorrowful, reluctant leave-taking finally transformed into resigned renunciation. The scoring for a large orchestra is masterful and includes many solo passages; melodic, harmonic, and instrumental devices at times create an oriental flavor. Among the work's many recordings, this is certainly one of the best. The orchestra is splendid; its wonderfully transparent sound, together with Klemperer's extremely leisurely, deliberate tempi, allows many apparently brand-new lines and details to come out and gives the second tenor solo a strikingly Chinese character. Moreover, the singers can be clearly heard, and they are incomparable: vocally glorious, musically deeply involved, sensitive to every expressive nuance and subtlety of words and music, they follow Mahler to the heights and depths of emotion, making the performance an overwhelming, unforgettable experience. --Edith Eisler - $6.80

Mahler - The Symphonies plus Das Lied von der Erde Boxset / Leonard Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra : Deutsche Grammophon

- $119.90

Mahler Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" / Kaplan, Wiener Philharmoniker (Multichannel Hybrid SACD) : Deutsche Grammophon

- $12.82

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 : Decca

- $9.88

Mahler: The Complete Symphonies : Sony

For many of us, Leonard Bernstein's first Mahler cycle for CBS (compiled here, remastered and cheaper than ever) has stood the test of time since it initially came out on LP in the late 1960s. Upon completing this traversal of nine symphonies (and the "Adagio" movement from the unfinished 10th), Lenny and the New York Philharmonic achieved something no one else had and proved that Mahler was, simply put, worth recording in the first place. It's still a marvelous set of recordings that belongs in every record collection.

Using the same budgeted design as on their (surprisingly pricey) Original Jacket series of box sets, Sony has unleashed a true bargain here: 12 CDs that average a little over five bucks a pop. Lenny's second cycle for Deutsche Grammophon may boast greater sonics, plenty of wonderful moments, and the complete song cycles, but it costs more than twice as much. Here, we get a younger Lenny, sounding fresh and expressive and delivering still-unparalleled interpretations of the First, Third, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth, and pretty great performances of the rest. The intensity on these discs is infectious and the price can't be beat. A must-have. --Jason Verlinde - $51.91

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 - Titan / Symphony No. 10 - Adagio : Sony

- $6.49

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra : Decca

"Beg to report safe delivery of a strong, healthy last movement to my Second. Father and child doing as well as can be expected." So ran Mahler's jubilant message on completion of his "Resurrection" Symphony, which after several years' painful gestation had come together in his mind with a sudden flash of inspiration. It had begun as a single-movement funeral rite, and gradually taken shape under the influence of Schubert's music, but the choral conclusion of Beethoven's Ninth was its Grail. Zubin Mehta's 25-year-old recording is a superb addition to the ranks of contending interpretations. It is lighter on its feet than Bernstein's classic version, with all the elements in Mahler's tonal landscape brought out in high relief: by turns lush, austere, grandiose, and intimate. Here is the Vienna Phil at its best, with two incomparable voices on the bridge--Christa Ludwig's steely mezzo and Ileana Cotrubas's soaring soprano. The "Legendary" on the cover is not hype: This is still as good as it gets. --Michael Church - $8.11

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 : Sony

- $6.94

Gustav Mahler: Conducting Mahler/I Have Lost Touch With the World : Juxtapositions

- $17.56

Mahler: Symphony No. 9 : Sony

This, Leonard Bernstein's first recording of the Ninth Symphony, has held up very well over time. Although it lacks the searing intensity in the finale of his later version with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, it's also a bit quicker generally, and in the middle movements even more exciting. As a single disc reissue at mid-price, there's no reason at all to hesitate. --David Hurwitz - $7.54