Back in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, a superstition developed in the classical music world that prophesied the Ninth would be a composer’s last symphony. Arnold Schoenberg summed it up in an eloquent fashion, stating that “he who wants to go beyond it must pass away. 825 more words
via Gustav Mahler and the Curse of the Ninth Symphony — The Imaginative Conservative
Progarchy 
Late Mahler is consistently astonishing stuff. For Das Lied von der Erde, Bruno Walter’s 1960 recording with the New York Philharmonic is top notch. Plenty of great options for the Mahler 9th: Walter with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1938 (recorded live two weeks before the Anschluss), Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1982 (one of the first digital versions) or Claudio Abbado with Berlin in 1999 (released in 2002). Deryck Cooke’s completion of the Mahler 10th is considered the best performing version; either of Simon Rattle’s recordings (with the Bournemouth Symphony in 1980 or with Berlin in 1999) are marvelous.
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