Who nails Mahler's 5th?

[DavidRoss]

Ack!  just looking at the additions here and scrolling back to my posts I'm shocked  --shocked, I say  --to see that I left out Sinopoli's 5th with the Philharmonia.  Simply gorgeous and certainly belongs among my faves.  Think I'll play it again now!

[Moldyoldie]

Ack!  just looking at the additions here and scrolling back to my posts I'm shocked  --shocked, I say  --to see that I left out Sinopoli's 5th with the Philharmonia.  Simply gorgeous and certainly belongs among my faves.  Think I'll play it again now!

That recording (Sinopoli/Philharmonia) actually made me ill. Yes, it's true.

Shipway/RPO is a current favorite.  Others to which I'm partial are Levine/Philadelphia and Barshai/JDP.

[mjwal]

While Mahler #5 has momentarily lost its attraction for me, I can agree with several contributors here in praising Barbirolli, Bernstein and Barshai (I do not know most of the others mentioned) - yet the performance that truly blew me away all those years ago was Mitropoulos on an old Movimento Musica LP. His performances of #1, #6 and #9 are also magnificent (I have never been able to find the Cologne #3 - the NYPO performance is disfigured by cuts & a vocalist singing in English). But personally I respond more to a je-ne-sais-quoi in the conducting than to perfect execution and recording and getmost pleasure from older interpretations of almost anything - I love the "Mangleberg" #4!

[GKC]

Dark Horse:  Jukka-Pekka Saraste/Finnish Radio Symphony/Virgin.

If you like this symphony, I think you will really like this recording. And I see it's available on Amazon (usa) for under $4.00 new. (!!!)

[Sergeant Rock]

Dark Horse:  Jukka-Pekka Saraste/Finnish Radio Symphony/Virgin.

A horse so dark it's damn near black  This one escaped my attention completely. Saraste is known for rather swift tempos. If that's the case in his Mahler, too, it won't be for me but thanks for pointing this out.

Sarge

[kishnevi]

A horse so dark it's damn near black  This one escaped my attention completely. Saraste is known for rather swift tempos. If that's the case in his Mahler, too, it won't be for me but thanks for pointing this out.

Sarge

Timings off one of the Amazon entries for this recording:
11:44
13:44
18:42
9:22
14:38

For comparison sake, the timings for the Barbirolli/EMI are
13:48
15:14
18:04
9:52
17:27

[Sergeant Rock]

Timings off one of the Amazon entries for this recording:

Thanks. The timing for Saraste's Scherzo is a possible indication he gets that movement right. I can't find any reviews though. Oh well, it's so cheap, GKC recommends it, and I only have 27 other versions, so I might as well order it 

Sarge

[jlaurson]

...and I only have 27 other versions...

amateur. 

(31)

P.S. Have you already counted your new Svetlanov among those 27?

[GKC]

Somebody over at audioasylum (I believe it was) said he had sixty recordings of the fifth.

[Scarpia]

A horse so dark it's damn near black  This one escaped my attention completely. Saraste is known for rather swift tempos. If that's the case in his Mahler, too, it won't be for me but thanks for pointing this out.

Sarge

Wow, I have a recording of Mahler 5 that Sarge doesn't have!  (prances off smugly)

[jlaurson]

Somebody over at audioasylum (I believe it was) said he had sixty recordings of the fifth.

You'd have to be in an Asylum for such numbers. But all well within the realm of the possible; Arkiv lists ~67 versions just as currently available (minus duplicate listings, obviously) -- and there are probably another 20 out of print that they don't list. If the obsession is sufficient, the wallet not too small, and the age considerable... 

[Sergeant Rock]

amateur. 

(31)

P.S. Have you already counted your new Svetlanov among those 27?

Yep, it's already in the data base. But I didn't count two LP versions, Rozhdestvensky and Haitink (his first recording of the Fifth). So, 29 total. I'm catching up to you!

Edit: Damn, that LP Fifth is Kondrashin not Rozh (Rozh conducts the 10th Adagio on that double LP). So, back to 28 

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Wow, I have a recording of Mahler 5 that Sarge doesn't have!  (prances off smugly)

I expect the Saraste will arrive this week...you'll have to wipe your smug look off then 

Sarge

[Scarpia]

I expect the Saraste will arrive this week...you'll have to wipe your smug look off then 

Sarge

You'll be a lot less pleased with yourself when you've heard it.   

[Franco]

Way back on the first page of this thread I mentioned this recording:



which I like - but then again I only have three recordings.  Since no one has commented on it, is it just completely mediocre?

[jlaurson]

Way back on the first page of this thread I mentioned this recording:



which I like - but then again I only have three recordings.  Since no one has commented on it, is it just completely mediocre?

It's easily in the top-67, I'd say. Mehta's problem was that he recorded too much. That's his 3rd M5. People cease paying attention, eventually. ;-)

C.Abbot from Fanfare: "With this release on Farao, Zubin Mehta revisits another work in his Mahler repertoire. He recorded the Fifth twice before: with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (now available on Eloquence) and with the New York Philharmonic (now on Warner's Ultima label); both versions are eminently serviceable. Mehta's interpretation remains a mostly sober-minded and sturdy one."

[He also recorded at least 3 1sts and 3 2nds.]

[Franco]

LOL - thanks ... "eminently serviceable" is a euphemism, I suppose, for mediocre.

Although, Sober and Sturdy are two qualities I greatly appreciate.

[Scarpia]

LOL - thanks ... "eminently serviceable" is a euphemism, I suppose, for mediocre.

Although, Sober and Sturdy are two qualities I greatly appreciate.

Teldec engineering would make this recording worth hearing, in my book.

[Sergeant Rock]

You'll be a lot less pleased with yourself when you've heard it.   

Thanks for the warning. I'll brace myself for possible disaster.

Sarge

[Bulldog]

Thanks for the warning. I'll brace myself for possible disaster.

Sarge

FWIW, Fanfare reviewed the Saraste 5th in a very favorable light.