Symphony No. 1 in D major was completed in 1888 by Austro-Bohemian composer Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911). It is sometimes called "Titan" after the novel by Jean Paul, but Mahler dropped that name after the first performances, when he also went from five to four movements (omitting "Blumine", which some recordings include nowadays). It is an astonishingly accomplished work for a first symphony - including a bizarre but highly effective idea to turn a French nursery rhyme into a double bass led funeral march. The average playing time is 53 minutes (AllMusic). I have over a dozen versions, but if I had to pick one it would be by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein on a CBS CD.
