Search - Gustav Mahler :: Mahler: Symphony No. 5

Mehta And Mahler In Los Angeles

Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 09/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"During the sixteen years he was music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1962-1978), Zubin Mehta elevated the orchestra to the ranks of the best in the world, a tradition carried on mightily by his successors. And one of the ways he did it was the same way Bernstein was doing with the New York Philharmonic during that same period--placing an emphasis on the symphonies of Gustav Mahler. Case in point: this recently reissued 1977 recording of Mahler's Fifth Symphony.



This symphony, lasting 70 minutes in length, is very typical of Mahler--extremely emotional, with spectacular outbursts and incredible moments of passion. All of these things were brought out on this recording by Mehta and the orchestra. Beginning with an ominous trumpet solo and ending with a frenetic climax of triumph, the symphony was, like all of Mahler's symphonies, a tough nut for audiences to crack for decades. But among the spectacle, the lynchpin of the symphony is its Adagietto fourth movement, scored for string orchestra and harp, as elegiac as Barber's "Adagio For Strings." Again, Mehta allows the L.A. Philharmonic to shine through the startling poignancy of this movement.



One of the best Mahler Fifths available, and thus vigorously recommended."