Mahler: Symphony No. 5

Mahler (Composer), Frank Shipway (Conductor), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Frank Shipway
• Composer: Mahler
• Audio CD (April 13, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Intersound Records
• ASIN: B00000ICOW
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #439,451 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor: Part One, Movement I: Trauermarsch. In gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein Kondukt

2. Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor: Movement II: Stürmisch bewegt. Mit größter Vehemenz

3. Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor: Part Two, Movement III: Scherzo. Kräftig, nicht zu schnell

4. Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor: Part Three, Movement IV: Adagietto. Sehr langsam

5. Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor: Movement V: Rondo - Finale. Allegro

Editorial Reviews

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Conducted by Frank Shipway. Digitally recorded 1996 at Watford Colleseum. Total playing time: 73:41.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real sleeper - a superlative Mahler 5, February 9, 2010

By 

Ralph Moore "Ralph operaphile" (Bishop's Stortford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (Audio CD)

This superb disc is one of a projected series of supposedly an eventual 150 super-bargain recordings to be made by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under contract with the Tring label. I don't think they got that far and the discs that were recorded are now discontinued and available only on Amazon Marketplace, but they were made by the RPO in their finest form under some distinguished conductors, and there are some real treasures to be discovered amongst those extant - this one above all.

First, regardless of interpretation and performance, the sound is stunning: huge dynamic range but perfectly audible at the quiet end; absolute clarity and a real concert hall ambience (it was made in the magnificent acoustic of the Watford Colosseum). But the conducting and playing, too, are stupendous, especially the brass and horns, so vital to the chorale at the end of the second movement. Frank Shipway should be better known; he is certainly a real Mahlerian, wholly attuned to the sounds of nature underpinnng Mahler's sound world and successfully balancing the potential incongruities between the delicate introspection and defiant bombast which characterise Mahler's expression. The composer's subtle orchestration (well; subtle once he had scored through half the timpani and deleted the side-drum part, following a less than successful first performance in Cologne in 1904) is lovingly realised and Shipway's attention to dynamics is particularly telling. The violence of the thematic reprise in the second movements, the rapt intensity of the Adagietto (Shipway even indulging in some very discreet Barbirolli groaning, perhaps in unconscious homage to that famous exponent of this symphony) and the exuberance of the finale are all ideally recreated.

This is one of those bargains which are not too good to be true and it belongs in the collection of every Mahler lover. My thanks to the Santa Fe listener for alerting me to its existence.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb (but...)!, September 2, 2003

By 

LJM (Earth) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (Audio CD)

Shipway's interpretation of Mahler's fifth symphony is superb indeed. The orchestra is in top form, Shipway's grasp of the symphony is quite impressive, and recording quality cannot be better than this. In addition, you will get it for almost no price at all.

However, the problem with this recording is the fourth movement. It is too slow: far beyond 10 minutes. One falls into sleep before the finale. Or perhaps the interpretation can attract meditating New Age people, who usually love music with lack of pace. But this is not how the movement should be performed: go for example to Bruno Walter's 1947 mono take with NYPO (SONY) for a lesson in Mahler exegesis. Rudolf Barshai's interpretation on Laurel records is in the same league.

Nonetheless, for the rest of this symphony, you need to consider Shipway as a serious contender to the very best.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great orchestral playing, July 14, 2006

By 

HB "HB" (Fort Mill, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (Audio CD)

I agree with both of the previous reviewers. A great performance marred by an extremely slow adagietto. This CD demonstrates quite clearly that the Royal Philharmonic is now one of the world's greatest orchestras. Their strings have a very dark and passionate sound and their winds are second to none. This CD was part of a series made by the RPO to be sold instantly at budget prices. They have been out of the catalog for several years but can still be found in the cutout sections of many record stores. I have also found them at Big Lots and even dollar stores. Other great recordings in this series: Strauss Also Sprach, Don and Till and Sibelius 2 by Mackerras; Beethoven Piano Concerto Nos. 2 and 3 and the Planets by Holst.