I have a different take/taste and find several of
Solti's Mahler works to be some of the best ever including 1,2,7,8. The majority of Mahler performances by many conductors seem to fall short by being too restrained and smoothed over for my tastes, especially recent modern performances despite great sound are often just soft pretty faces with no real edge or deep emotional conflict.......
MBHaub
I read in another thread where you have 6,000 CDs, you are sick sick man
Sick? Nah, just impulsive...I like gadgets, so buying a cd player when they first came out 21 or so years ago was a no-brainer, even though at that time players were very expensive, and disks, which held maybe 45 minutes, cost close to $20. So 20 years of collecting, that works out to 300 a year, and that's not so bad. (tell my wife that.) Besides, some people collect baseball cards, stamps, Hummel figurines. I just collect cds.
As to Solti's Mahler: London 1, 2 great. Chicago 4, 5, 6, 8 brilliant. Chicago 3, 7, 9 low points. Solti doesn't have the patience for the slow adagios in 3 & 9, and totally misses the humor in 7 -- too heavy. His DLvDE is very good, but then has anyone made a bad recording of that awesome work? When he gets Mahler right, he's just great. Same problem with his Bruckner: he pushes too much for effect and doesn't let the music unfold slowly. Just my opinion.
I, too, have high hopes for Gatti: I caught him with the Royal Philhamonic last year in Tchaikovsky 5, and it was a real barnstorming thriller.