Mahler Symphony No. 5 & Ades Aslya / Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic

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You can hear and see this excellent performance of Mahler's militant, stormy and sometimes ethereal Symphony No. 5 in standard DVD (on disc 1 of the set) or hear it in a variety of digital audio formats. A bonus DVD-Audio disc (without visuals) offers a choice of standard stereo or two varieties of surround sound. The surround sound is even richer and more precise than the standard DVD, and this matters with Mahler's colorful and finely detailed orchestration. But the video is useful for conveying Simon Rattle's expressive gestures, his fine control of the Berlin Philharmonic, and its precise playing in this his first performance as the orchestra's music director.

Ades's Asyla (the plural of "Asylum," used in both its meanings, as a place of refuge and a scene of madness) is available only in the video format, which is sonically quite good and visually striking. It is energetic music, with a lot of percussion, including one piece that looks like a tomato juice can, and one movement that annotator Andrew Porter describes as "a sort of Rite of Spring cum disco." A video interview of Rattle is a fine bonus. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

Enthusiastic Convert.......2006-07-05

I came to this recording reluctantly. I was sulking because Barenboim had been passed over in favor of Rattle to head the BPO. I sampled the Ades piece which Rattle conducted at their inaugural concert and really did not like it. Then I selected the companion Mahler Fifth; the music pulled me in, and suddenly I found myself in an astounding sonic experience of one of my favorite symphonies. When the horn player brought his music stand forward and took center stage, I thought, "Wow! That's how it SHOULD be done!" The same soloist seems so forelorn in the back row in Abbado's otherwise lovely Fifth from Lucerne.
Once upon a time I was in the auditorium to hear Solti conduct Mahler's Fifth in combination with Mozart's 35th, and I treasure a laserdisc of this coupling which he did on another occasion in Tokyo. I have been fond of Mehta's recording in New York for a long time. I will always love those and other recordings, but now when I want to hear the Fifth, I will reach for Rattle first. I see now why the BPO elected him. I should have trusted their judgment.

Brilliant Mahler Five; The Jury's Still Out on Adès.......2005-10-05

More and more I'm coming to feel that the way I want my Mahler is via DVD. There is something about seeing, as well as hearing, the orchestra and the conductor that conduces to a more satisfying experience. I've reviewed - glowingly - several Mahler DVD performances: the Ninth (glorious!), Fifth (celebratory), and the 'Resurrection' (No. 2), all conducted by one of my favorite conductors, Claudio Abbado. Here we have direct competition with the Abbado Fifth by his successor with the Berlin Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle. Well, as I see it, you can't go wrong with either version. This Fifth is really special. And, by the way, it is available separately on regular CD, too. This DVD comes with a separate DVD-A that contains the audio only of the symphony; I can't compare the sound of the DVD-A with the CD because I've not heard the CD, but the sound on the DVD-A is pretty spectacular, if you should want to go that route. This was Rattle's inaugural 2002 concert with the BPO after assuming Abbado's mantle, and the sense of occasion is palpable.

A few high points: Principal horn Stefan Dohr comes to the front of the orchestra for his gorgeously played solos in the Scherzo. The Berlin Philharmonic play like gods and, mirabile dictu, I see them smiling much of the time! That's got to be at least partly a reaction to Rattle's irresistible enthusiasm. Those Berlin strings are unbeatable (except, some would say, by the Vienna Philharmonic) in, for instance, the pizzicati in the Scherzo and, even more impressive, in the Adagietto, which is certainly a love song in this performance. And it leads right up to a joyful finale. Yes, there is the dark undercurrent present, too, but as Rattle says of Mahler's position in this matter, 'love and counterpoint will remedy anything.'

The curtain raiser in this concert was 'Asyla' by the aging British Wunderkind, Thomas Adès. I will say straight off that I'm not a big fan of Mr Adès's music. While acknowledging his talent, I haven't found much of his to my own taste. Still, 'Asyla' is a brilliant tour de force of orchestration if nothing else, although as Martin Anderson comments in a review I'd read some months ago, it seems to be running in place throughout its twenty-minute length.

The bottom line: this is a magnificent Mahler Fifth, different from Abbado's in that it has more chiaroscuro, and equally valid. The extras include an interview of Rattle by Nicholas Kenyon. Sound is PCM Stereo, DTS 5.1 or Dolby Digital 5.1, and it is quite lifelike. One notices, momentarily, that when the camera is in the orchestra looking towards the conductor the audio perspective reverses so that first violins seem to be on the right, seconds on the left. Odd, even understandable, and not too bothersome.

Scott Morrison

The very best.......2005-09-06

Excellent performance + the best sound and picture in any DVD of classical performance I have.

Rattle's visuals detract.......2005-08-17

Interesting performance. Extremes in dynamics will challenge even the best sound systems. The strings become so soft at times that they lose quality, become raspy & suffer intonation problems. However, I find the performance heart-felt and at times moving. But, really, the players of the Berlin Philharmonic are artists, and to have to endure a conductor hovering over them, making demented faces and wild gestures is surely an insult and demeaning experience, and as such is a testiment to their powers of restraint. I would have thrown my mute at him after the 1st movement. Also, Mahler's instructions aside, I find the horn soloist being repositioned at the front problematic. Abbado's placing him alone at the back in the Lucernce performance is more effective, as it doesn't give promenance to accompanying motifs which the soloist sometimes plays. I have viewed the DVD once, but because of Rattle's antics I'll stick to the included sound-only DVD in the future.

a great dvd to own.......2005-03-16

The Berliner Philharmoniker hired Simon Rattle because they wanted to bring the level of playing and reputation back to the "glory days" under Karajan. I think Rattle is a better conductor then karajan ever was (Ok I said it!). He manages to bring out the best in the orchestra without holding them back. The orchestra sounds fantastic. All the solos sound great and the soft playing is exquisit.

Thomas Ades "Asyla" takes place in madhouse. It is a cool piece not to be overlooked. Some parts reminded me of George Crumb (perhaps it was the watergong) This piece is a good compliment to Mahler.

The Mahler is played wonderfully. I have about six recordings of this symphony, and while they all have something to offer, this performance struck me as being particulary good. The soft playing is simply amazing. Sometimes the louder parts were slightly distorted on my dolby system. Perhaps the mics were a bit hot, which helps explain the clearity of the soft spots. Rattle has a good command and knowledge of Mahler and it shows in this performance. It still offers something new everytime I listen to it.

This is a great DVD all around, despite the occasional distortion.

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