You are far, far too generous (and also need to learn to embed URLs  )

But the disc I reviewed there is a great second Lucier record: Wind Shadows. I say "second" because I assume everyone already has I am Sitting in a Room, which is in the process of attaining its well-deserved place as a long-term classic of the second half of the twentieth century.

Incidentally, I have now listened to the Mode disc, and it's wonderful; the bagpipe piece is actually quite amazingly beautiful, and Silver Streetcar works about as well as can be expected.

Strangely enough, the cover is thick cardboard, with a mock veneer effect, and is in excellent condition. I hope my wood is in the same condition and as stiff when I'm 64.

Mahler 4 again! With bugler-all vibrato again! Not Stuttgart but Amsterdam!

Concertgebouw Orchestra / Mengelberg, 1939. I believe Mengelberg and Mahler once shared a concert in which the first half consisted of Mahler 4 conducted by one of them and the second of Mahler 4 conducted by the other. I suppose if that means anything it means Mengelberg didn't do it the way Mahler did it.

The rubato is stupendous. The three-quaver upbeat figure in the first movement practically grinds to a standstill...

Anyone else know this box? From membran. 10CDs. €10. I call that silly.

I have that set (very worth getting, especially at that comically cheap price). There certainly is some vibrato, just it is used very selectively, in a varied manner and with discretion (all things that were Mengelberg's trademark). There's a long section on Mengelberg's relationship with Mahler in Robert Philip's Performing Music in the Age of Recording. Philip thinks it is unlikely that Mahler ever actually heard Mengelberg conduct any of his works, because they only ever met in Amsterdam on occasions when Mengelberg would prepare the orchestra and Mahler would take over for the performance. There's been a lot of dispute about whether Mengelberg or Walter's performances were preferred by Mahler (and as to whether he preferred the Concertgebouw to the Vienna Philharmonic) - seems a pretty unanswerable question and perhaps not that important. But after that double performance you mention, Mahler wrote to Alma 'The only moments of such a journey when I feel really comfortable are the rehearsals. If only I had reached the stage at which conductors understood the style of my works! I could go for a stroll through Heiligenstadt instead.'

(Philip also believes that actually Mahler conducted both performances on that day, and that the idea of the double performance comes from some misremembered comments of Mahler recalled by Alma.)

Mahler 4! Norrington!

...oh, I've already raved about this one.

Cripes. What a first movement.

I have a lot of time for Zone (...de Azul) -what re ording do you have t_i_n?

Aha - yes, I didn't/don't think it's ever been commercially released...however, there is a version available from Peters Edition and one housed up at the Scottish Music Centre in Glasgow too...which I think are the same performance (ultimately a Radio 3 broadcast IIRC)...a nice little piece though.

Best heard, IMO, in the context of the entire Spiegel series, which functions more or less like a huge multi-movement piece. It isn't cooking on the front ring all through, but must have been quite startling in its time (1961).