Mahler 5

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.

Slightly off topic, but since Megasam mentioned Bernstein, the one Bernstein performance that I consistently go back to is his live M9 with the Berliner Philharmoniker (1979). This is one of the most exciting M9 I have in my collection and totally unlike his Vienna performance (also on DG) or his NYPO series. If you have never heard it, try to do so.