My favourite Mahler Fourth is Willem Mengelberg's ultra-romantic 1939 Concertgebouw account with Jo Vincent. It's old and a bit crumbly in places but beyond value as the only complete Mahler symphony recording by one of the composer's truest advocates. He indulges in some severe tempo changes from the outset, but his approach gained the composer's own imprimatur and has to be counted as authentic.

After Mengelberg I'd recommend his successor in Amsterdam, Eduard van Beinum. His is a much more direct approach but one that I find immensely satisfying. (He was a fine Brucknerian too, leaving excellent recordings of syms. 5, 7, 8 and 9.)

For a more modern, stereo recording I can't go past Rafael Kubelik with Elsie Morrison (i.e. Mrs Kubelik, another great artiste we lost this year) and the BRSO on DG. It's a delight from start to finish, and beautifully recorded.

And don't forget Bruno Walter, always marvellous in Mahler (and of course another conductor who actually worked alongside Gustav himself - as did Otto Klemperer.