Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5 Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig & Riccardo Chailly

As Riccardo Chailly points out, “The Fifth begins with a dark, gloomy, and tragic tone, but then is enlivened in the Scherzo and Adagietto, and eventually ends with a more positive character in the Finale – perhaps for the last time in Mahler’s life. The Adagietto is a revelation, a spiritual oasis. It is not an expression of pain, but rather Mahler’s declaration of love to Alma – a song without words.“ With the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Chailly gives the piece an unsurpassed intensity of sound and emotional expression. He achieves a compelling arc of tension in which the symphony’s unique fascination unfolds. The Wiener Zeitung characterized Chailly’s interpretation as „impressive with powerful and unreserved intensity.“

BONUS: Riccardo Chailly on his interpretation of Mahler’s 5th Symphony

Reviews:

BBC Music Magazine November 2014

Clarity with power, clear balances and ferocity combined: Riccardo Chailly’s latest Mahler Five surely has the best of all possible worlds for this comprehensive darkness-to-light epic. It’s rewarding to see the Leipzig Gewandhaus strings articulating with such mobile engagement. – 5 out of 5 stars

Gramophone Magazine November 2014

Chailly takes us on a journey from darkness to light…He’s a pleasure to watch, being neither over-demonstrative nor affectedly matter-of-fact. He looks like what he’s conducting and one sense that the orchestra agrees. If the rest of this projected second Chailly Mahler cycle is as good as this, then I suspect we have treats aplenty in store.