Symphony no. 5

"Under Fischer, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, in this live performance at the Tonhalle, respond to the myriad moods of Mahler's Fifth giving a captivating account that provides absorbing drama. From beginning to end, the Hungarian maestro communicates a judicious balance between gripping intensity and attention to detail whilst impressively managing the overall structure of the score ... Düsseldorfer Symphoniker under Ádám Fischer is in outstanding form. This perceptive new account gives the finest recordings I know a run for their money and I am certain to play it often".

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"With his new release Jansons responds to the multifarious moods of Mahler's Symphony, giving a majestic account that provides absorbing drama. From start to finish the Latvian maestro communicates a judicious balance between impressive intensity and attention to the overall structure of the score ... With playing of elevated quality from the world class Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Mariss Jansons this captivating live account is one of the finest in the catalogue".

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"Decca kalder Mahlers femte for hans mest populære symfoni ... Georg Solti dirigerede den på sin sidste koncert i Zürich i juli 1997, og optagelsen herfra viser en stadig livskraftig dirigent med sans for både kraft og glans. Solti fans skal have den, mens det for andre må blive en smagssag, for symfonien kan spilles mere fintfølende".

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"Dirigenten Georg Soltis to sidste koncerter fandt sted i Zürich 12. & 13. juli 1997. Den ungarske maestro døde 85 år gammel to måneder efter. Den foreliggende CD med Mahlers 5. symfoni er optaget over disse to julidage. Adagiettoens tempobetegnelse Sehr langsam kerer den effektive og usentimentale Solti sig ikke om".

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"Hos ham [Dudamel] finder man en entusiasme kombineret med teknisk dygtighed, som er noget særligt. Hans orkester er det ikke mindre ... spiller symfonien med en naturlig forståelse for liv og død. Orkesterspillet er imponerende, men det sidste raffinement og den grænseløse sikkerhed mangler".

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"Det unge stjerneskud blandt dirigenter, den 26-årige venezuelaner Gustavo Dudamel, holder dødsflodsstemningen ... I finalebrændingens brus overtrumfer Dudamel dog den gamle mester - Soltis præcisionsstrøg af kulde viger over for ungdommens viltre flammer".

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"In some ways this is the most interesting of Gergiev's Mahler to date. Some aspects of this Fifth completely wrong-foot you: its inwardness is unexpected, its drama and dynamism uncharacteristically low-key ... I couldn't live with this Fifth but I'm glad I've heard it".

"Vurdering: IRR outstanding" - "This is a magnificent performance of Mahler's Fifth Symphony in every respect. The orchestra playing is consistently of the highest quality, individually and collectively, the musicians clearly inspired by the insight and total conviction og their conductor".

"The recording is rich and full, but even more striking is its clarity. I have never heard the multiple strands of Mahler's extraordinary orchestration with quite such analytical precision as here ... This is a superbly well-played performance of Mahler's great symphony ... the finest of recent recorded performances I have heard, and the sound is of demonstration quality".

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".

"Is this the Fifth I'd choose to live with? Probably not ... The Pittzburghers don't quite have the optimum European-sounding winds and open-throated brass of their peerless Berlin or Vienna counterparts ... However, Honeck's Mahler Fifth should excite for many of the right reasons, and his continuing cycle places his fine orchestra among America's best".

"There is a voice and force of personality here ... Big, bigger and biggest on pretty much every count ... Bernstein's famous DG recording will always hold pride of place in any collection but if you are tempted to follow Honeck on his Mahler odyssey, then you will count his passing indulgences in this Fifth as part and parcel of a burgeoning individuality".

"The ecstatic audience response suggests that you may enjoy this performance more than I did. Sophisticated, civilised and meticulous, what's missing is a certain edgy intensity".

"My feeling about the work as a whole are too equivocal to say whether this is a great performance, but it is without doubt one which appeals to me more that the kind we most often hear".

"I have heard many live performances and recordings, but very few of them have wholly convinced me. This new recording by Mehta is one such experience: for me, it is a true revelation, a real performance, as it clearly was to the audience".

"Editor's choice: Ádám Fischer's kinship with this music seems to grow exponentially with each successive instalment of what is already proving an exceptional Mahler cycle. There's a stylistic and emotional understanding which goes beyond the precisely annotated scores ... Perhaps the most impressive thing about this account of the Fifth Symphony is the 'in the moment' feeling it engenders from first to last ... I can't wait for the symphonies to come".

"Following the stormy division at the heart of this first movement, Saraste and Mahler seem to find each other; and with that newfound kinship, the identity and sound of the performance ... seem suddenly to come to life ... Saraste finds within it something so personal and so inward-looking that it is as if he is placing all his his Mahlerian credentials on the line ... He surely has the measure of the piece. Mahler collectors would be well advised to give him a spin".

"The WDR Sinfonieorchester ... is an exceptionally well-drilled outfit, and plays the music with impressive technical refinement ... An account of the Fifth that's got more than enough plus points to reward attentive listening, without displacing established benchmark recommendations".

"The Bavarian ensemble, every bit as fine as its Dutch rival, is on world-beating form ... Jansons offers a more conventional kind of security and finesse ... Jansons's less insistent manner will nonetheless delight his fans and admirers of the orchestra he has made arguably Germany's finest".