Mahler’s Fifth is considered the first of Mahler’s mature works and as such it is a masterpiece of enormous proportions, Musical polar opposites are presented side by side - tragedy and joy, depression and mania, pain and pleasure, despair and hope, etc. In the words of Tony Duggan “It is such a supreme test for conductor and orchestra because it challenges them to explore extremes of expression whilst maintaining a unity of purpose that ultimately leads to satisfaction”. Of all his symphonies, the 5th probably travels the most emotional distance of all his works. As Herbert Von Karajan once observed: "When you get to the end you find you have forgotten what age you were when you started." It’s a tall order to conduct this well and cover all the emotional bases therefore it really separates the real Mahlerites from the wannabe’s. Most are good at the dramatic/tragic/dark end of the work but fewer appreciate the need to bring out the fantastic/joyful/light end that balances the piece across the whole range. Even less can balance the two perfectly.
That said, I have two favorites. Bernstein’s Fifth with the Vienna is a performance of thrilling power and eloquence. The huge dynamic range of the recording in the opening pages is indicative of what is to come. This is a performance that storms the heights and depths of this work like no other. It is no accident that Bernstein is single-handedly responsible for the dramatic rise in Mahler’s popularity as a composer in the latter part of the 20th century as he championed him vigorously throughout his career. Bernstein has an affinity for Mahler that is palpable and in this recording, it is as obvious as it gets. Simply put, Lenny owns this piece flat out. (Everyone probably knows that Mahler was a tormented Jew who lost his position as the conductor of the Vienna due to anti-semitism and then conducted the NY Philharmonic in the early 1900s; whereas Bernstein was tormented, Jewish and the conductor of the NY Phil in the mid 1900’s. That here, Bernstein is conducting the band that threw Mahler out is an irony which I have always appreciated).
However, Tony Duggan thinks that perhaps the greatest Mahler 5th is by a lesser known conductor Rudolf Barshai with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie on Laurel and Brilliant Classics (93719). It is a live, one-off performance in 1999 where what the audience heard is what we hear. This may go some way towards making it the exceptional recording it is because the challenges of "live" performance often bring a sense of drama that no studio production can match. Now, ordinarily, you would not put a relatively unknown student orchestra in the same league with best orchestras to play Mahler, such as the Concertgebouw, the Vienna and the Berlin no matter how gifted. But one listen to this and you won’t care, the performance here is simply stunning. Whatever the reasons, it is a perfectly balanced rendition; powerful when it needs to be yet beautifully contemplative throughout as well.
My preference between these two probably depends more on the mood I am in when I listen than anything I can point to specifically in these equally fantastic versions.
View attachment 27785 View attachment 27786
