Yup. 24 and 10+, but over three days. I haven't been able to listen to them since, mind.

I'm going to listen to all 10 of Mahler's Symphonies (Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt) + Das Lied Von Der Erde in one sitting.

Not one piece, but a marathon nevertheless.

I got Rattle's version of the 10 symphonies recently. I admire the idea, but I struggle to see the merit of listening to 1 & 2 just because you'll be listening to the rest. Start with the 3rd, I say.

That's with the Berlin Philharmonic, right?
I'll take your advice and start with the 3rd, go full circle and end with the 2nd.
Das Lied Von Der Erde stands between the 9th and 10th. Is that chronologically correct? I'm no Mahler expert.

According to the Klemperer version notes (which just happens to be sat on my desk), Das Lied... was contemporaneous with the 9th, so very late. I assume you know that the 10th is incomplete as well? Probably not worth bothering with either. You could easily replace it with Kindertotenlieder, written after the 4th (I think).

I really couldn't listen to that much Mahler. I get out of breath just listening to the 3rd.

Yes, he died young.
The 3rd it is. I'll look into Kindertotenlieder.
Thanks.

Ps: Scriabin's piano sonatas 1-10 are next.

Awesome. Who's on the ivories? Scriabin is one of those I should've spent time with, but haven't. They've been playing him a lot on the radio of late.

Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Excellent. He'll know what he's doing. Not like that terrible McGregor woman. Can't abide her.

According to experts, Hamelin does it better.
I prefer a Russian doing it. More appropriate, I guess.

I tend to think anyone under 40 who claims to be an expert is just regurgitating other's opinions. And most of the people over 40, in fairness.

I listened to the 3rd, 4th and 5th yesterday.
The 3rd is definitely the best one so far.
It has some serious mood swings.
Doris Soffel's vocals are alright, but parts I and VI attract me the most.

im taking a course on mahler. we have so far heard the 1st three. i definitely like the 3rd the best.
but i cant understand the 1st and 2nd hating. the first's second two movements are excellent. and the second's 3rd and final movement are equally superb.
bu yeah, the third is excellent.

I think the problem is that they are clearly good, but in the context of Mahler I find them to be very weak, especially next to the 3rd. Having said that, I'm not studying them, so I imagine you're reading them much closer than me. Closer enough to ignore a flip opinion, at least.

Why don't you get yourself some dupstep dj's playing live and listen to those?

If you want a real marathon, 9 Beet Stretch is your boy. It may have the downside of being impossible though. Maybe in 2 or 3 sessions?

Although it's not technically one piece in any of them, Table of The Elements has a few box sets that would be good choices. Either of the early minimalism ones, the John Cale or the Tony Conrad ones, would be amazing, especially if paired with that 'Inside The Dream Syndicate Volume 1: Day Of Niagra' CD that was originally supposed to be part of the Cale one, or the whole 'Guitar Trio Is My Life' set...

A friend and I had a good debauched and unproductive weekend to a few Table of the Elements boxes, but that's an awesome call (he's playing a 24h gig in a few weeks).

I'm not too sure about that 9 Beet Stretch - if only because I don't really like the 9th. But I might give a few hours of it a crack, thanks.

Your opinion on the 9th will likely have very little bearing on how much you enjoy 9 Beet. It basically ends up just sounding like a really lush drone piece.

Oh, and I forgot, there's always this, if you've got the metal

i played for 8 hours at anthony braxtons sonic genome project after three days of 2 hour rehearsals. that was very a marathon.