May 18 marks the 101st anniversary of Gustav Mahler’s death (1911); he was born in 1860. Few composers attract more heated debate over interpretation than Mahler, so here, at the risk of opening various cans of worms, are a trio of suggested Mahler symphony cycles comprised of recordings we've reviewed enthusiastically down the years (and we've linked them to reviews from some of Gramophone's most respected Mahlerians, writers like Deryck Cooke, Alec Robertson, Richard Osborne, Edward Seckerson and David Gutman).

Modern Mahler cycle

Symphony No 1 – Netherlands SO / Jan Willem de Vriend (Challenge Classics) Read review

Symphony No 2 – Kucerova; Stotijn; LPO and Choir / Vladimir Jurowski (LPO Live) Read review

Symphony No 3 – DeYoung; Pittsburgh SO / Manfred Honeck (Exton) Read review

Symphony No 4 – Persson; Budapest Festival Orch / Iván Fischer (Channel Classics) Read review

Symphony No 5 – BPO / Sir Simon Rattle (EMI) Read review

Symphony No 6 – BPO / Claudio Abbado (DG) Read review

Symphony No 7 – Bamberg SO / Jonathan Nott (Tudor) Read review

Symphony No 8 – Soloists; San Francisco SO / Michael Tilson Thomas (SFS Media) Read review

Das Lied von der Erde – Schade; Urmana; VPO / Pierre Boulez (DG) Read review

Symphony No 9 – WDR SO / Jukka-Pekka Saraste (Profil) Read review

Symphony No 10 (ed Cooke) – BPO / Sir Simon Rattle (EMI) Read review 

Historic Mahler cycle

Symphony No 1 – BRSO / Rafael Kubelik (DG) Read review

Symphony No 2 – Schwarzkopf; Rössl-Majdan; Philharmonia and Chorus / Otto Klemperer (EMI) Read review

Symphony No 3 – Ferrier; BBC SO / Sir Adrian Boult (Testament) Read review

Symphony No 4 – Raskin; Cleveland / George Szell (CBS/Sony Classical) Read review

Symphony No 5 – Philharmonia / Sir John Barbirolli (EMI) Read review

Symphony No 6 – New Philharmonia / Sir John Barbirolli (EMI) Read review

Symphony No 7 – NYPO / Leonard Bernstein (Sony Classical) Read review

Symphony No 8 – Chicago SO / Sir Georg Solti (Decca) Read review

Das Lied von der Erde – Patzak; Ferrier; VPO / Bruno Walter (Decca, Naxos et al) Read review

Symphony No 9 – VPO / Bruno Walter (Naxos, Dutton, EMI et al) Read review

Symphony No 10 (ed Cooke) – LSO / Bertold Goldschmidt (Testament) Read review

Live Mahler cycle

Symphony No 1 – Concertgebouw / Leonard Bernstein (DG) Read review

Symphony No 2 – Royal; Kozena; BPO / Sir Simon Rattle (EMI) Read review

Symphony No 3 – DeYoung; Pittsburgh SO / Manfred Honeck (Exton) Read review

Symphony No 4 – Fox; Philharmonia / Sir Charles Mackerras (Signum)

Symphony No 5 – BPO / Sir Simon Rattle (EMI) Read review

Symphony No 6 – LPO / Klaus Tennstedt (LPO)

Symphony No 7 – LSO / Valery Gergiev (LSO Live) Read review

Symphony No 8 – Soloists; choirs; LPO and Choir / Klaus Tennstedt (LPO) Read review

Das Lied von der Erde – Kmentt; Baker; BRSO / Rafael Kubelik (Audite)

Symphony No 9 – BPO / Claudio Abbado (DG) Read review

Symphony No 10 (ed Cooke) – BPO / Sir Simon Rattle (EMI) Read review