What innovative, unconventional cartridge designs can you recommend?

@audphile1 

Jason is correct!  My Walter / Mahler 9 / Columbia record set has each movement occupying its own side, so it has nothing to do with fitting the length of movements!

Movements 1 and 4 are on the first record, and 2 and 3 on the second record. 

This was done for convenience on stacking auto-players, but is inconvenient for everybody else.  I notice that noise is significantly worse on the first record, probably because it has been removed from its sleeve twice as often.  It had been in paper sleeves with a plastic liner until recently when I swapped the sleeves for anti-static ones by Nagaoka.

Mahler himself was sometimes unsure about the best order for his movements.

I am one press of a button away from ordering my next purchases from Presto.  Because I love Bruno Walter's performance of the 9th so much, I have included a CD copy by Alto of my record set, which also includes Reiner conducting #5.  Under A$17. 

I discovered there is an earlier Walter performance recorded in Austria just before Hitler merged Austria into Germany.  The performers are mainly Jewish.  Naxos CD, about A$20.  Then I added a five CD set from Warner of Barbirolli conducting #1, #5, #6 and #9 for under A$20 the lot!

There will be some vinyl in my order as well ...

@richardbrand 👍 to music purchases! Cool stuff. I like Barbirolli as well. 
I guess I really lucked out for $10 all in with this Mahler 2nd. It was probably played only few times. I’m going to hunt down other symphonies with Walter and put together a complete set. 

I heard Barbirolli at the Albert Hall (from memory) in one of the long Mahler symphonies - could have been #9.  He almost had to be carried to the podium, became fully alive for well over an hour of conduction, then slumped again.  

Another purchase in my Presto basket is a 7 CD set of Barbirolli conducting Elgar, many are recognised as the best performances of Elgar, ever.  About A$32 the lot!  I've already got most of these performances, but ...

Interesting story you got there!

I have Elgar cello concerto with Du Pre conducted by Barbirolli. It’s excellent. It’s been a while since I heard other Elgar compositions. Will stream some with Barbirolli and see what’s worth hunting down on vinyl. 

Yes, the Elgar Cello Concerto with du Pre was the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s top voted classical piece last year.  I have records of Barbirolli conducting the symphonies.  If you ever want to hear how not to conduct the Enigma Variations, Leonard Berstein is your man, but some of his Mahler was superb.  Horses and courses.