Mahler: Symphony No 5

Advantages: Embodies some of Mahlers most notable music qualities.
Disadvantages: Unfinished.

...by various orchestra's and in different decades to choose from, the most recent notable one has been Simon Rattle's Berlin orchestra's performance. Overall if you like Mahler this is a definite buy, if you are new to Mahler get this as part of a compliation package, if new to classical music perhaps sample it before you purchase. --- AVAILABILITY --- There are many labels and different recordings of this that is hard to suggest which one to go for. You can buy it stand alone or as a compilation of Mahlers other music. If you are new to Mahler buy a complilation of his other scores too as he has so many other offerings (Symphony No. 1 is one of my favourites). If you have some Mahler music already then I would suggest the Naxos label which has Symphony No. 10 all on its own for around £5.... Read review

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Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...Mahler's Symphony No5 came to the general public through the fil "Death in Venice". It is a large scale work which needs to show the full range of emotional feeling that Mahler put into it. To my mind, there are only two recordings that do it justice. The benchmark performance is that done by Barbirolli on EMI with the Philharmonia Orchestra. The sound is warm and rich, particularly in the brass section and you have the feel of a live performance. If you want a current digital performance, then the Bernstein recording on DGG takes some beating. He brings out the shmaltz underlying the score without making it banal. The recording is bright, full and glorious. No other recordings need be considered.... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent piece - real emotion
Disadvantages: none

...It is hard to believe that Gustav Mahler was so unappreciated and often viewed as a conductor who occasionally wrote "overlong" symphonies. This work is certainly one of the greatest ever written and would certainly not look out-of-place along side works by masters like Beethoven and Mozart. People often do not like this symphony and others by Mahler, simply because they do not understand it. The entire work is a collection of emotions, as they were experienced by the composer. Therefore, to see the music properly, the listener must feel those emotions too. It is therefore impossible to approach the work from a critical and analytical point of view. The emotion that exists in the score alone is incredible. The adagietto, though often considered to be a calm and relaxing piece, is one of the most painful pieces to listen... Read review

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