Mahler's Symphony No. 3, Movement 1. Kräftig entschieden

The opening of Mahler's Third Symphony is best when it is performed as he scored it to be played, "Kräftig entschieden." Kräftig means vigorous or forceful and entschieden means firm or decisive. Used as a phrase to describe how to perform the music, I understand the translation from German into English as "Forcefully. Decisively." While I am not terribly familiar with all of Mahler's Third Symphony, I am married to a trombonist, so I know where all of the crucial solos for the low brass are.
The first movement of the symphony is a brutal battle of fanfares and horn calls. The opening horn call begins the ensemble dialogue and the trombones are quick to respond with a depressing sigh. Later on the trumpets come in with a short, nasally fanfare, then the trombones come back in followed by the horns, then the trumpets, then the trombones, and so on and so on. The rough and tumble attitude of the work doesn't relax for more than a few minutes, which in a 35 minutes movement isn't much time at all. There is nothing subtle about the first movement and there shouldn't be. Mahler didn't write it that way. Lorin Maazel's recording with the New York Philharmonic is especially vigorous and decisive. I can get behind the trumpets when they play their fanfares and I can follow the horns when they give their call to regroup. I have only begun my journey into Mahler's Third Symphony and I'm already excited. :)

Short excerpt of the movement on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpN-GYEdKKs