When Dudamel first started with the LA Symphony Orchestra they performed Mahler Symphony No 1. This was and still is for me, the best performance of Mahler 1 I have ever heard. What is so exciting is that this performance of Mahler 9 equals what I thought could never be replicated in their performance of Mahler 1. There is so much depth of character in each musical idea, quite unlike anything else I have ever heard. For me, these are the perfect Mahler recordings.