rv piano -- I might be the only one here who thinks this way but, for me, I don't primarily listen to Mahler because his stuff has the potential of being an audio spectacular. Instead, I listen to Mahler for the tunes, the emotions and the worlds he creates. For me, more than any other composer, Mahler conjures up universes that I find myself living inside of. Universes that I can reach out and touch. I remember putting on a Mahler LP for a makeout session with a girlfriend. It was sometime in the 1970's. She'd never heard of Mahler and, of course, had never heard his music. She said the same thing. Yeah, I really liked that girl...