Search - Gustav Mahler, John Barbirolli, New Philharmonia Orchestra :: Mahler: Symphony No. 5

One of the All-Time Greats

Jonathan Stern | New York, New York USA | 01/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not only is this perhaps the greatest available recording of this work, it is also one of very best ever made. In my experience, only Haitink's Amsterdam recording is better. Levine's is fun, what with that rich Philadelphia Orchestra at his disposal. However, his IV is too slow, even with the great strings (more on that later) and the trumpeter may not be to everyone's liking. Both the Haitink and the Levine are out of print. No matter - this one will do just fine.I guess what makes it work is that special brand of rich romanticism that Barbirolli brought to everything he conducted. The man simply felt the music - passionately. There is drama here, there is passion. The results can often be Shakespearean, not meaning to emphasize the conductor's Englishness. Even if Barbirolli may gloss over a section or two, these can be forgotten in light of the magnificent splendor of everything else. A Barbirolli performance is special. The same monumental quality he brought to Elgar he brought to Mahler (indeed, both composers had much in common).As with his outstanding Sixth, Barbirolli does not hurry through the Fifth, but the tension never lets up. Given this framework, the NPO play with a wonderful, burnished quality highlighted by an absolutely golden brass section. Next to these guys, Chicago's brasses sound ugly while Philly's section may be a little cheesy. Barbirolli also has the best horn soloist in III. Notice how faithful the unidentified player is in realizing Mahler's explicit directions regarding dynamics. The horn players for Haitink and Levine (Mason Jones!) do not always play forte in their dialogues with the muted, antiphonal sectionmate, ruining the "echo in the mountains" effect. No such problems here. Maybe the result sounds a tad Edwardian on occasion. But if it's okay for Bernstein's old recording to sound vaguely "Old New York," then it's okay for the Londoners to bring Elgar into the mix.I begins with a properly tragic trumpet call and mournful orchestra entrance. This is a true funeral march, grief-stricken and at a proper tempo (Walter and others rather whip right through the movement). The intense middle section is played to the breaking-point as Barbirolli wrings every ounce of emotion from these bars.In II, Barbirolli chooses a more rugged, less propulsive tempo, letting the fury rise from the music naturally instead of forcing it out. The vaguely Hebraic second theme (first heard towards the end of I - the hero of the work?) has just the right character, and the music's hectic and overpowering conflicts are played to the tilt. Avoiding excesses of speed (try Scherchen if you want to laugh - it's a wonder some of his musicians didn't lose fingers), details come to the fore clearly and robustly. The choral climax is given just the right weight, while the crash that follows is properly devastating.III is lyrical, though with just the right lilt, along with an Elgarian melancholy, particularly after the first horn solo. The final bars really rock - in contrast, Haitink seems unenergetic while Levine rushes.The Adagietto is a textbook example of how to conduct this movement. Aided by great strings (as well as the superb EMI engineers, whose work is spectacular throughout the recording), JB selects a perfect middle-of-the-road tempo that enables the short movement to really sing. Tempi of this movement vary; one of Scherchen's recordings takes over thirteen minutes, while Haitink's Berlin performance is interminable. Levine takes just over twelve minutes, but the Philly strings make the trip worthwhile. Recently Gilbert Kaplan did research in order to prove that Mahler did not really want this movement done to slowly. Based on his findings, he concluded that the proper length of the movement should be 7-10 minutes. I agree, not so much because of that dreaded word "authenticity," but because the music simply sounds better at under ten minutes. This Barbirolli is (but not by much!), and given his phrasing and general way with this sort of thing (check out his Delius and Vaughan Williams as well), it simply doesn't get better than this.V is also unhurried, but this time, maybe a little more energy would have been in order. The music does not always sound as joyous as it should. But the orchestra and recorded sound are both breathtaking and the final choral climax (basically a repeat of the end of II, except this time happiness prevails) has just the right kind of spirit.The Dohyanni/Cleveland is also available on a budget label. I believe it is a dollar or so cheaper. Great performance, but the Cleveland maestro does not bring the same passion to the work that JB did. I have yet to hear the Chailly. People say it's excellent and given both Chailly and the fact that he has the incomparable Concertgebouw Orchestra at his disposal, I would believe it. Still, this one will always be one of the all-time greats, certainly near or at the top of the heap among recordings made before the mid-1990's. Should you get it, you will not be sorry as repeated listenings will reveal its many gifts. In fact, if you have read this far, what are you waiting for?"

An endearing conductor puts his unique stamp on Mahler

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 07/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sir John Barbirolli died a year after recording this Mahler Fifth in 1969; in general his most acclaimed Mahler performances came late in life (even later than with Karajan). A reviewer below criticiezes Barbirolli for being too slow compared to Karajan, whien in fact the two renditions differ by 32 seconds. What he's no doubt responding to is the relaxed, at times gentle pacing of the first movement, which really seems like a grave funeral march, not merely a march tempo used as scaffolding for orchestral fireworks.



Many listeners and critics have loved this rcording for its spirit--other acclaimed readings (from Karajan, Abbado, Levine, etc.) are stunningly virtuosic. Barbirolli is unique in making you feel that you are eavesdropping on his personal emotions. Unintimidated by the score's enormous, complex demands, he phrases everything simply, as if to say, "See how lovely and touching this is?" For that reason, one never feels assaulted; this Mahler Fifth often caresses the ear, and the heart. It would be unthinkable to do without it.



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An excellent performance,suffering slightly in sound quality

Jonathan Stern | 06/14/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This,along with the recordings of Abbado, von Karajan, and Bernstein, is one of the finest and most convincing Fives.Some of the tempi(the start of the first two movements and the swift adagio)are unusual, but they work.However the sound quality at the climaxes is not brilliant, and the brass do not always play sensitively."