G U S T A V M A H L E R
(1860-1911)Symphony No.5 in C# minor
· An Inktroduction ·
Recordings Survey Part 1 | Part 2
by Derek LimNew Philharmonia/Barbirolli (EMI) | Berlin Philharmonic/Abbado (DG)
Philharmonia/Sinopoli (DG) | Vienna Philharmonic/Bernstein (DG)
Berlin Philharmonic/Karajan (DG) | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Mackerras (HMV)
Chicago Symphony/Solti (Decca) | Vienna State Opera Orch/Scherchen (MCA)
Orchestra National de L'ORTF/Scherchen (HM) | Royal Philharmonic/Shipman (Tring)One of the first recordings of a Mahler symphony I bought was that of Mahler's 5th. I had then only listened to his First prior to the Fifth, and had high expectations indeed for the latter. I soon went on a mad rampage of all the CD shops in Singapore, ordering CDs of the Fifth rabidly. Here's a small selection of some recordings I have listened to.
New Philharmonia Orchestra
conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
EMI Great Recordings of the Century CDM5 66910-2
[74:29] mid-priceBarbirolli's recording of 16-18 July 1960 is justly famous, for it is one of the few recordings that does justice to the scope of the work. You'll scarcely find a first movement played badly nowadays - the orchestras are too good, and ensemble, placed in such a high position, would never be as bad as this, but time never stands still the way it does in this recording. Barbirolli's vision of the work is such that it transcends the ensemble problems. The second movement may seem a trifle lethargic at first, but it soon gets on its feet, and Barbirolli's form of the work is impeccable. You'll probably never hear a chorale from this movement to rival this in terms of detail, where the harp glissandi are totally audible, and you'd be hard pressed to find another as mock-triumphant as that in this recording.
The Scherzo is one of the best handled that you'll ever hear, and the Adagietto is beautiful without being draggy. The finale could do with a little more punch, but the sense of triumph comes through inmistakably and dramatically. The best thing about this recording, though, must still be the way the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Barbirolli seem to discover their way through the symphony.
I had one CD-pressing of this, on an EMI Taiwan disc, which was in terrific sound already. This I replaced with the EMI Studio Plus recording, but this has in turn been superceded by the newest Great Recordings of the Century disc, still at mid-price. A bargain, which I recommend urgently if you haven't got the EMI Studio Plus recording already. If you do, and want to hear the recording in marginally warmer, fuller sound, I suggest you snap it up. You also get to hear Barbirolli's vocal urgings for the orchestra much more clearly (sample the opening of the Scherzo!), so you may want to consider that as well, if it bothers you.
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Claudio Abbado
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 437 789-2GH
[69:29] full-priceThis is a very nice and "central" recording of Mahler's Fifth - the orchestra is in good shape and Abbado doesn't try strange things, which may lead some people to believe that this is a boring performance. There are many advantages to having the Berlin Philharmonic at your hands, I guess, and it shows. The playing is superb, always, though they don't really have the "Mahler sound" (Vienna Phil, always!).
I wish Abbado were a little more patient (ie. slower in the opening of the first movement) but they quickly settle in. There's much attractive portamento, though it's not as pervasive as that on Mengelberg's Mahler Fourth. This is mostly a very straightforward, confident performance of the opening movement, and Abbado doesn't linger much around the way Bernstein does. A lot of the time I prefer the way Bernstein does this movement, which I realise is very "preludial", but I would prefer more grief here, really. I find Abbado rather dispassionate and more architectural. His second movement is rather cool as well. The third has a lot of charm, and Gemütlichkeit, a German word which approximates to "friendliness". He does the Adagietto very well, never overemphasized, and the Finale is quite exciting in its Don Quixotic quality. Overall, it's not as exciting as maybe Barbirolli's, but the excellent 4D sound definitely has something going for it, and it's a great sound equipment tester. Really.
Philharmonia Orchestra
conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 415 476-2
[68:54] full-priceI don't know why the Gramophone reviewers say this is in good sound, and well-balanced. It sounds to me badly balanced, and with some exaggerated engineering, especially in the Adagietto, where the crescendos sound very irritating. The interpretation is weird as a whole, and is certainly not up to the inspired level of Sinopoli's Mahler Seventh, for example. The horn player fubs the beginning of the scherzo, or at least, that is how it seems. I don't like this recording.
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Leonard Bernstein
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 423 608-2
[75:00] full-priceBernstein tries weird things here, and consistently exaggerates, but most of the time he gets away with it. He has the VPO here, in better form than in his Mahler Sixth recording. They play terrifically, and follow his whims without question. The Scherzo is very enjoyable, the First Part appropriately weighty and dark (sometimes too dark for my liking). Bernstein uses liberal rubato all over the place - the VPO must have had a hard time following his direction. He has got many things right here, but his tendancy to exaggerate sometimes gets on my nerves - the Finale is a little too much, for my liking. But this must be listened to for the red-hot playing of the VPO.
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Herbert von Karajan
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON The Originals 447 450-2
[74'xx] mid-priceKarajan is not for me a persuasive Mahlerian. His has been called the most beautiful recording of the Fifth - but in most Mahler works, and none less for the Fifth, this isn't the most important thing. This was made before the BPO had performed the work in public, and though there isn't much of ensemble problem, the strain shows sometimes - there are occasional flubs here and there.
Mahler's Fifth Symphony
Recordings Survey Part 1 | Part 2
· An Inktroduction ·
Back to the Classical Index!... or read previous Mahler reviews in the Inkvault archives.Other classical music reviews by this or any other writer can be obtained from the InkVault by doing a key word search with the writer's name.
410a: 21.2.1999 ©Derek Lim
Readers' Comments
From: Benjamin J. Evans (Benjamin.J.Evans.11@nd.edu / Monday, March 29, 1999 at 04:37:51)
I highly recommend the 5th Symphony recording London released last year, featuring Riccardo Chailly and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The recording itself is a marvel. Also, Chailly brings elegance and charm to the music. The Adagietto is not angst-ridden, like Bernstein's. The final Rondo is articulate, well-shaped, and exciting. My top pick for this Symphony.
