Classical Music for Aficionados

Herr Professor, since you are a self proclaimed history professor perhaps you would like to revisit the basis for your statement that I 'schooled you' for putting Mozart and Brahms above LvB and Mahler.

At  10:03 AM on 2/18/2019, I posted my personal views about Mahler's symphonies and said that " Mahler only competes with Sibelius and Beethoven in my pantheon of the greatest composers of symphonies". 

At 12:28 PM on 2/18/19, you posted in response (?) "Really? Mozart and Brahms are better. And at their best, cases can be made for Haydn, Schubert and Bruckner. 

Clearly you were trying to 'school me'. For stating, what was obviously, my opinion. 

Since you are admittedly not a musicologist one must assume that you were just voicing your opinion. However, as you are aware, most folks reading your posts may not be aware of your background and believe that your pronouncement(s) was a statement of fact. 

Perhaps you would like, for the sake of historical accuracy, in the future to append to your posts of such things something like 'in my humble opinion', or if that is not achievable something as simple as 'I believe' or 'I think', if your do.

Richter--Dvorak.  Wow!!  These older recordings can sound truly excellent.  Not only great piano playing, but I'm focusing even more on the fabulous wide, deep, full measure sound stage.  Not only a great performance but a great recording.

Point taken .It was not obvious to me . I thought you were just some self appointed expert  out of their mind dismissing the Mozart and later Haydn symphonies as well . 

I found Mahler's 8th on a cassette earlier today, recorded from a CSO broadcast from sometime in the '90's.  Levine is conducting.  Not going to be a reference (tape is a bit off) but giving it a listen now anyway.  First movement finished and... it's a bit nuts isn't it? Now an interview with Levine, how nice.  I found a few other broadcasts I recorded so it should be fun going through them.

I've added Bruckner 7th to my exploration list, as well as Puccini’s" La Boheme" (I'm sure I've heard it before).  I'll check to see if I have any of Beethoven's trios.  Also, someone mentioned Leo Janacek so I'll add him too.

I didn't appreciate Mahler until listening to stereo LPs.  

I'm new to this group, and probably will make a fool of myself. And, horror upon horrors, I have no particular preference for composers. I was taught  music should be judged on its own, and not by who wrote it. Performance of a piece is another matter. 
I'm an Old Fud, whose introduction to classical music was listening to Enrico Caruso on 78 rpm Victor Red  Seals, played on a wind-up Victrola using cactus needles - -  and whose first opera was Carmen, in the Met,  with Risa Stevens.