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- Verified Buyer
I think it's fair to say that no American conducts Mahler as well as James Levine, who made this startlingly good Mahler Fifth in 1978 when he was only 35. Only Bernstein was a better Mahelrian, but that's saying a lot. His recordings so totally overshadowed Levine's that RCA didn't finish the younger condcutor's complete cycle, leaving out Sym. #2 and #8.But this Fifth is totally unlike Bernstein's--it owes a lot to George Szell, Levine's mentor. That is, there is less reliance on rubato, expressive underlining, and overt emotionality than with Bernstien. But Levine so far exceeds Szell's bloodless, strict readings of Mahler that there is really no comparison. This is incredibly dramatic, red-blooded playing, caught in generally excellent sound that has great overall impact. The only thing it lacks is mystery, but so does Levin'es veyr optimistic extroverted reading.The Philadelphia Orchestra sounds incrdibly virtuosic, as good as the best on CD. Only a strangely quavery trumpet solo to start off the first movement mars the playing. It's a shame that RCA has no confidence in thse recordings. Next to Levine, the readings of the Fifth from Mehta, Maazel, Solti, etc. are crude or dull. Only Abbado, Bernstein, Karajan, and Barbirolli are in this league on CD. I will keep my eye out for used copies of all Levine's other Mahler readings form the Seventies, and add to them an excellent live Mahler Ninth from Munich on the Oehme label. It dates from 1999 but is not nearly as well played as the RCA cycle.
