My timpani teacher at Juilliard taught me that the 2nd movement of Mahler 5 is a timpani concerto! This piece is a major blow for everyone involved!

I was lucky to have heard Solti and CSO do the 5th in SF. It was the most exciting classical concert I've ever heard. The audience gasped at the pluck string at the end of the first movement. Sounded like they would blow the roof right off the opera house. The audience stood in unison and cheered! I've never heard any orchestra sound like that and doubt I ever will again. I also very much like Sinopoli's recording.

Karajan Mahler 5 is a favourite of mine. Great sound & structure.

Per your recommendation I found  the Barshai and Junge Deutsche Orchestra.  OMG.  What an inspired performance!  The clarity of the lines and the interplay between the horns, woodwinds and strings.  The recording sparkles.  And the pacing seems just right. WONDERFUL! I feel they are all pouring out their hearts and souls.  The applause at the end is so well deserved! THANK YOU-

I have that Barshai recording.... LOVE IT.

I can't imagine having the time in this one life to get beyond the version that blew my mind. That is, the very first. Kubelik.

I was nervous there for a bit, but you gave my favorite a shout out!! Mehta and the NYPO is my #1. Their low brass section is just so dirty good and delicious!!!

For me one of the curious things about hearing so many recordings of the Mahler Fifth is how the Adagietto movement seems almost like a separate work inserted into the body of another.

This may be due in part to how often the movement is presented separately, but the one recording where it does sound like a natural, integral part of a larger work is Karajan.

And what I am saying here with regard to the Adagietto also goes for all the other movements: I am not a trained musician, but by my ears alone no other recording presents each movement of this symphony as organically connected to the others as does Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic.

It is easily the most singular sounding recording I have ever heard.

So glad I found your channel, and this video! Great respect to any and all musicians, especially those who can absorb and play such music. I discovered Mahler's 5th in 1982 and it remains the symphony I love above all others

On your recommendation I just got and listened to Mehta's recording of the fifth with the NYP. 'Fabulously recorded' indeed! understatement, Old Chap! An absolutely brilliant performance and recording!

Levine was the first I listened to - it was in my university’s CD colllection - and keep coming back to it. The Adagietto is stunning, I’m not sure I’ve heard better string playing in any piece.
I still haven’t found a better version and perhaps never will.

I was delighted and moved to see that you chose Levine as your top recommendation. That was how I first discovered the work years ago, thanks to one of my friends who was a great fan of the recording and Mahler in general. Sadly, he passed away last year--so this brings back some bittersweet memories. I haven't heard Levine's recording in a long time and am eager to give it a fresh listen. Thank you.

Very glad you included Abbado/CSO, as that was my first recording and the vehicle by which I learned the work.  I still think it's one of the best, and it's good to know that..it's not just me.  I once heard his later recording and was soooooo delighted that I didn't spend my hard earned money on it.

Glad you mentioned the Stenz in Melbourne.  It is by far my favorite.

Glad you mentioned the Abbado, because I know your opinion of his later Mahler work and I agree that it's fussy and overcooked. His Chicago work seems excellent though--not only this 5th but the 7th too which offers a bit of light into a work I'm still struggling to appreciate.  One other 5th that I found surprisingly good was Kubelik's with the Bavarian.  It's probably the paciest of all (about 68 minutes if I recall) but the third movement is magical.  Many conductors don't seem to know quite what to do with that enormous scherzo, but Kubelik revels in it and the trumpet and French horn playing are stupendous.

Tennstedt on EMI released 1979, 2011 remaster sounds wonderful also.

I heard Solti conduct this live in Bass Hall, Austin, TX back in 1986, I think.  Herseth didn't have his best night...the opening trumpet tune didn't come off too well.  The rest was OK, but the REAL gem of the evening was the Haydn Drumroll Symphony.

Side note...the concert was delayed for almost two hours, as the instrument truck was involved in a highway accident en route.  Many instruments were damaged and some string players resorted to borrowed instruments from the U. of Texas.  With that in mind, I suppose the Mahler 5 went pretty well.  I know as a performer that something like that can really put the players off their best game.

I really enjoy your talk. As there are so many recordings of Mahler 5th to choose from, I didn't know which one to choose. I'm glad you mentioned Karajan's recording. This is the one I used to own and listen to very often when I was a college student.

Thanks for highlighting Mehta.  great recording  We were fortunate to hear him do a memorable performance of this before the recording live in St. Louis when the N Y Phil visited on the Bell Labs/AT&T Great Orchestra touring series.  (in a time when corporate America's philanthropy extended to the arts rather than only to Wall Street).

Many Fifth's I've listened to, and for me the best are James Conlon with the Gürzenich Orchestra, very well executed and clear sound, and Klaus Tennstedt with The London Philharmonic Orchestra, in a live recording from 1988. Very exciting execution, especially in the last movement.