Mahler: Symphony No.5

Well there is nothing to dislike, and the performance is gvery fine.

Great CD.

lovely listening to it

Although I'm a huge Mahler fan, I've always struggled a little with the Fifth and the Seventh; the unusual, slightly cranky book-ends to the mighty Sixth. They both require an orchestra and conductor of impeccable Mahlerian pedigree to really 'sell' them and, despite his ability to polarise opinion, Bernstein was one of those conductors and the VPO was (and remains) one of those orchestras. When they joined forces, the results were rarely less than memorable and this recording is no exception.I find the argument over Bernstein's tempos tiresome. Yes, he does push the envelope on occasions, notably in the Second and Ninth of his DG Mahler series, but his knowledge and experience of these scores is legendary. I think of him as a gifted driver with the keys to a fantastic sports car: do you take it round the block a few times at 30mph and get out thinking "that was quite nice" or do you head for the open road, explore its handling and power, kick the tail out a little and get out with your pulse racing and a grin on your face? Mahler's symphonies are big enough and brilliant enough to accommodate many different interpretations but it is usually a Bernstein that I pull down from the shelf first.This account has been a leading recommendation since its release twenty years ago and I have never found another that surpasses it. Bernstein captures the many difficult changes in mood and tempo and moulds them into a coherent narrative. The VPO put on another virtuosic display, especially in those stormy, surging passages of the first two movements which have a thrilling power and razor-sharp precision. Bernstein does perhaps gild the lily of the Adagietto, ever so slightly. I find it haunting and beautiful and he certainly isn't the longest on record: the Karajan version (often held up by Bernstein critics as an example of how it 'should' be done) is actually longer. Crowning the performance is a truly blazing account of the Finale which is worth the price of this disc on its own.The recording was made live in Frankfurt with a rich, full and clear orchestral sound, a natural balance and a warm acoustic (better than some from the Musikverein, in fact). Audience noise is negligible.For beginners or collectors, this recording should be snapped up.

I must have nearly every Mahler 5 ever issued - both on LP and CD. But, while there are quite a few 'very good' performances, two really stand out from the crowd - Barbirolli's HMV, and this one by Bernstein.In their very different ways, Barbirolli and Bernstein seem to define the work - fully encompassing the lofty breadth of Mahler's vision. Each stands like a Himalayan peak - above and apart; incomparable and unique.Although Bernstein's earlier NYPO Columbia/Sony version has it advocates, his DG Vienna remake is significantly better - a weighty, mature, and very serious performance, that has immense power and strength. Lasting about 75 minutes, it's one of the slowest on record - indeed, if memory serves me correctly, it was the longest CD ever issued by Polygram at that time (1988); the first to go beyond the 74 minute mark.The orchestral playing is trenchant and concentrated, and Bernstein's interpretation carries total conviction - great music-making caught on the wing. DG's recording is superbly rich and sonorous, with excellent detail and clarity - still sounding impressive despite the passage of 20 years.At this late stage of his conducting career, Bernstein was capable of performances that were literally life-changing; this is one of them.

I think Mahler must be an acquired taste. This is the first time I have sat down seriously to listen to him, and I felt the music was an assault on my brain. It was like encountering abstract art for the first time after being used to only figuraitve art. I was confused. I will listen again sometime, see if it grows on me.

lenny over the top as usual in mahler

I love Mahler's 1st and 4th Symphonies and I like his 7th and 9th as well. Somehow, I missed the 5th. But then I saw "Tarr," the Oscar nominated film, in which the 5th—and Leonard Bernstein—were prominently mentioned. So I had to buy this album in which Mahler, Bernstein, and the Vienna Philharmonic converge to make beautiful music. When I received the CD, I immediately played it. And played it. And played it. It is truly a magnificent rendition of a mellifluous and sumptuous piece of music with the deservedly renown adagietto as the "piece de resistance." This is music at its best...by turns solemn, light, swift and brooding. It does what all great art is purported to do—it seeps into your mind and protects it from the turbidity and chaos of the world beyond the concert hall.

I am new to symphonies and looked for a recommendation and this comes up often as both piece and specific interpretation. If you're slightly unsure what to get but are interested in a proper quality source for the Mahler 5 this is a good place to start.

Acheté avec la 5ème dirigée par Karajan, pour comparer leur interprétation, il semblerait que la qualité de l'enregistrement soit légèrement moins bonne, même si la part de subjectivité n'est pas à exclure, je préfère la version Karajan.

REFERENZ!Eine der besten Aufnahmen der fünften Sinfonie von Mahler . Es ist ein Livemitschnitt von 7. September/1987 aus der Alten Oper in Frankfurt am Main. Hatte das Glück, damals live dabei sein zu können!

Bernstein's Mahler recordings span most of his conducting career, and what we have here is a scintillating live performance towards the end of his career, where he guest conducted the world's greatest orchestra. Under Bernstein's direction, the Wiener Philharmoniker play as if their lives depended on it.Particularly striking are the dramatic changes in tempo. For some critics, Bernstein went too far in allowing too much of his effervescent personality to invade his interpretations. For me, this is the very strength of his Mahler conducting.The Fifth is a symphony of emotional extremes. The first and second movements draw one into the emotional depths more than any other symphony I know (with the possible exception of Tchaikovsky's Sixth). I recall listening to this symphony in moments of great personal crisis, and finding inspiration in the way it works itself through its own trauma and arrives at one of the great optimistic moments in all of Mahler--the last movement.This symphony (and perhaps this particular recording) are best known for the Adagietto, and here Bernstein shines. I personally despise Visconti's Death in Venice and the way he slices up this beautiful music and plays it to death(one would be well served to stick Thomas Mann's novella), but Visconti did choose Bernstein's recording for the film.Make this the one Mahler Fifth in your collection if hard-pressed, although Rattle and Karajan are worthy competitors.