Search - Mahler, Abbado, Chicago Symphony Orchestra :: Mahler: Symphony No. 5 [Germany]

A Winning Mahler 5 From Abbado And The CSO

J. Rich | 11/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My father owns more than 40 recordings of Mahler's 5th alone. He also owns almost every Mahler recording available and all of the box sets, except for two (Gielen and Neumann I believe). He recently let me borrow this Mahler 5th conducted by Abbado and he said it was incredible and he was right! I have heard a lot of Mahler 5ths (and I do mean a lot), but something just sounded definitive about this recording.



I have never heard the first movement "Trauermarsch" played with more authority. Abbado, in this recording, brought forward some of the instruments that I haven't heard before. Abbado is notorious for getting a very clean orchestral sound and this pays off in this performance. The famous "Adagietto" movement receives a beautiful performance. I see this as the centerpiece of this symphony and it acts as a buffer between the 3rd and 5th movements, which are more aggressive.



The Chicago Symphony Orchestra play with fire and passion. The brass section (as usual with the CSO) is outstanding. I also noticed that the string section was in remarkably good shape throughout. The sound quality is also great.



This is a Mahler 5 that competes with the best of them (Bertini, Chailly, Bernstein, Levine, Tennstedt). Highly recommended."

Daring & Overwhelmingly Powerful 5th

Scriabinmahler | UK | 02/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Abbado's earlier Mahler recordings with Chicago SO for their unrestrained passion and youthful boldness, compared to the more rounded and polished performances of recent years with BPO. And this performance of the 5th definitely stands out as a untamed monster. Abbado seems determined to outdo Bernstein in the outer movements - climaxes are staggeringly massive and overwhelming. Adagietto is painfully passionate and powerfully moving, glowing with rich orchestral colours. Chicago SO's brass is glorious, woodwind and strings so expressive! Spaciously recorded."