Tír Na HiFi

Well, I'm taken aback. This is most pleasant music. I was gritting my teeth expecting something like his 7th but this is a different world. I've only listened to it twice throughout but it seems to divide itself into 3: Movements 1 and 2; 3 and 4; and 5. Just my early perceptions.

I haven't yet acquainted myself with its history - I'll save that for another day. But I'll have another listen later this evening.

Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus.
:)

Good for you. I am very pleasantly surprised that you like his Second, it does reward repeated listening, it is life affirming music.

Good for you and welcome to the wonderful world of Mahler! It is indeed great music and relatively easy to get a handle on I think. Once you are familiar with it his Symphony No. 3 is a natural progression from it.

Thank you for the welcome.... but let's hope Mahler doesn't kick me back out of his world. :D

Progressing along. I had enough solitude to listen to it throughout last night and happened to notice the chorus in the 5th movement seeming to bring the work to a close halfway through the movement, as if the remaining orchestral music was a sort-of epilogue. Certainly a fine work and I'll try another in due time. With Mahler (like Bruckner) it's always needing enough time. I have the Osaka Philharmonic/Asahina 9th so after a little break I might dust the cobwebs off that one!

No. 2 was the first symphony of his I really enjoyed... and whilst I wouldn't say the Klemperer was the definitive version, it really has a large scale Late-Romantic magnificence to it; I just put it on occasionally to wallow in the glory of the lush orchestration... Klemperer in his element.

It's probably his first work I listened to with reasonable 'ease'. I have a disc of his 9th which also doesn't need too much work (based on a single hearing admittedly. I'll give it another play as things go along).

From an associate, I received a disc of Barbirolli/New Philharmonia conducting the 5th. I'll give that a listen tonight. You'll be far more familiar than I with the work so you may have other recording recommendations which I would be most glad to read.

Let's see how it goes!

Dane wrote:
From an associate, I received a disc of Barbirolli/New Philharmonia conducting the 5th. I'll give that a listen tonight. You'll be far more familiar than I with the work so you may have other recording recommendations which I would be most glad to read.

Without hesitation....

fergus wrote:

Dane wrote:
From an associate, I received a disc of Barbirolli/New Philharmonia conducting the 5th. I'll give that a listen tonight. You'll be far more familiar than I with the work so you may have other recording recommendations which I would be most glad to read.

Without hesitation....

Please consider this another vote for the von Karajan/BPO recording and do please avoid Herr SSRattle, his Fifth is not God's gift!

I have compared the Hvk/BPO cd against every other Mahler 5 in my collection and it is still my favourite. I have the following Mahler Fives and I would certainly recommend those in red:

Walter/NYPO (1945)
Haitink/Concertgebouw Orchestra (Philips box set)
Kubelik/BRSO (DG box set)
Bertini/Kölner Rundfunk-Sonfonieorchester (EMI box set)
Levine/CSO (Sony box set)
Bernstein/NYPO (60 cd box set) preferable to the VPO
Barbirolli/NPO now out of favour with yours truly
Neumann/Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
von Karajan/BPO
Solti/CSO
Abbado/CSO
Kubelik/BRSO (Live Munich 1981)
Bernstein/VPO
Tennstedt/LPO bl00dy awful
Barshai/JDP very good, and paired with Barshai's take on Mahler's incomplete Tenth
Chailly/RCO
Zander/PO
Solti/Tonhalle Orchestra (very disappointing)
Ratle/BPO (on DVD)
Abbado/Lucerne Festival Orchestra (on DVD)

His Fifth is a large work and it does take repeated listening before you can see the patterns and experience the awesome beauty of his masterpiece but it really does reward repeated listening, again and again and again and.......

^^ an absolutely great post Sean, you really have done your homework there... I have very little to add, other than the three I enjoy most are HvK, Solti, Kubelik. The ones not so much so are Tennstedt, Rattle, Maazel & Otaka.

^^ I have to say that I really love the Bernstein VPO recording. Unlike Jared I would recommend Tennstedt (especially the thunderous live recording)

Other than that you have fine taste!!

;-)