Mahler 5

My favorite Mahler 5 is part of a special issue set by Haitink and the Concertgebouw that was recorded over a 10 year period each Christmas day. It is a special import from the Netherlands. It is very intense, and not at all like his lame studio recordings.

Barbirolli's 5 is one of the few Mahler recordings that I've sold. He is vastly over-rated by the British music press who adored him. His #6 is interesting, however.

Solti is probably best avoided in Mahler, expect for his towering achievement in #8.

Chailly is often highly regarded in #5. His playing is very clean with a good sound, but very superficial. I've been duped into buying too many Chailly recordings by the reviewers.

Bernstein's DG set is where I learned my Mahler. Although he is overly dramatic and, at times, hysterical, that set is an incredible achievement and represents Bernstein in his element.

Rob

Linkoping, when you talk about Bernstein, are you talking about his recordings with Vienna or New York? Very different things...

I actually prefered Vienna version of Bernstein over the New York. Hard to explain, but the Vienna have more "emotion" into it.

Ok, to answer Newbee, I actually have the TennStedt version as well (Angel record/45RPM/London Orch.) and it's great version as well... I almost forgot.
Rtn1, for Solti set, I evaluate 8 the best for sure, but the 5 is better than I've expected. I didn't like his other though. The Concertgebouw is a great record as well since the orchestra are extremely anwsome. I'm not familar with Chailly but also heard that he is too "clean".
Bernstein is for sure overly damatic, except conduct Shos #5.

How can one be over dramatic for Mahler......Bernstein has the full measure of these works like no other conductor. I generally prefer his early Sony set over the newer DG set with a couple exceptions, one being his DG 5th.

I agree with Newbee that Solti is often overlooked as Mahler conductor, but he is better than most if not quite reaching very top tier.

The Inbal/Denon series is OK, and had good sound for its time but I can't think of any Inbal Mahler performance that can be seriously considered as near reference for that symphony. I have the Inbal 5th but own many others that would rank ahead of it.