Search - Mahler, Scherchen, Philadelphia Orchestra :: Symphony 5

This 1964 broadcast is one of the oddest Mahler 5ths around, but it's also one that fascinates. Disfiguring cuts made to fit a broadcast time slot reduce the pivotal Scherzo movement to about a third of its normal duration, ruining the symphony's proportions. In recent years, most performances of the Adagietto movement stay under 10 minutes; here, Scherchen takes 15, achieved through distended phrasing. Yet there's genius in this perversity, for it's incredibly moving thanks to Scherchen's magical ability to maintain interest and intensity, and to inspire the Philadelphia strings to long-breathed plushness. There are other oddities as well, such as extreme tempos that veer between very slow and volcanic. But this adds to the fascination, and Scherchen's command is such that he convinces even as he frustrates. The sound is stereo, but it's dimly recorded at extremely low levels, requiring a sharp volume boost. This isn't a Mahler 5th for everyone, but Mahlerians and admirers of one of the last century's greatest conductors won't want to miss it. --Dan Davis