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

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

List Price: $24.98
Your Price: $22.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perfect performance
Review: For a person like me condenmed to listening CDs only, when I watched the dvd first, images came between the communication of Mahler's mind and me.

While listening to a music Cd the communication with the author is more direct, and there are no distractions from images.

It was not until I watched it for the third time, paying more attention to the music, that I could value the perfomance properly.

It is surprising the level of proficiency and evident professional dedication of this orchestra and director.

It is very pleasing to me (the nbr. one believer in God (by God I mean Gustav Mahler), through the inteview of Simon Rattle, to see that this excellent director understands and values the 5th correctly.

When he says that Mahler (God) is dealing with Mortality,and that also God (Mahler) says that everything can be solved through love and counterpoint, he proves that he deeply knows this masterpiece.

Many could think that it would be difficult for a British director and a German orchestra to play Mahler (God) properly. But they do really achieve it in an astonishing way. I thought that my Bernstain's version on cd was the best, but this at least matches it, or maybe is better.

The peculiar way in which Rattle directs this symphony, I think shows how deeply he loves this masterpiece and also, how intensely he wants the perfomance to be perfect. And he does achieve this.

Mahler is honoured with this performance. And I think this is correct, because God (Mahler) must be admired and respected.

Of course Mahler is trying to fix the chaos in the universe, and sitting beside him are Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. Mozart happens to be one of his angels.

I wish you all Mahler lovers enjoy this pearl directed by Rattle, this marvelous philosophical idea expressed passionately with perfect music.










Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Good One!
Review: I had a chance to play under Sir Simon Rattle a coule of times. It was one of the most amazing moments I've ever had in my life. He's a wonderful musician and a conductor who knows how to make the orchestra sing. He can also lead a orchestra to make a beautiful phrase and sound.
You are not gonna get the "powerful" brass sound like the Chicago Symphony, but what you will get is beautiful, warm, and lush sound of Berlin's strings and woodwinds.
Get this recording and check out what Rattle does with music!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: More Mahler, Please!
Review: Reviews of symphony performances tend to be pretty subjective, so I'll just tell you what I can see that you might like about this DVD.

Simon Rattle does a fine interpretation of Mahler's 5th, and the Berlin Philharmonic sounds beautiful. The horn solo is so striking, that it seems appropriate that Rattle had the soloist come to the front by the podium. It added emphasis to the solo playing.

If you're new to Mahler, you can expect pathos and supernaturally beautiful music. If you've watched a lot of movies, you'll recognize here Mahler themes used in "Somewhere in Time," and "Death in Venice." You'll also find, in Mahler symphonies, wonderful little folksongs and dances.

It really helps to SEE the conductor expressing just the way he wants the music played--that's one of the big values to a DVD performance, and this one has excellent camerawork. This also includes an interview with Simon Rattle, which shows you a bit of his personality and his "take" on Mahler. (They've also even thrown in a CD of this performance for your audio delight.) We need more DVD performances of Mahler's music!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Buy it!
Review: This is a stunning recording, and it certainly makes one wish that more Mahler symphonies would appear on DVD. Rattle uses a huge orchestra, and follows Mahler's own instruction to let the solo horn player play in front of the orchestra in the third movement. This adds a wonderful element to the performance because one can see more of the solo and the soloist, which is beautifully played.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Buy it!
Review: This is a stunning recording, and it certainly makes one wish that more Mahler symphonies would appear on DVD. Rattle uses a huge orchestra, and follows Mahler's own instruction to let the solo horn player play in front of the orchestra in the third movement. This adds a wonderful element to the performance because one can see more of the solo and the soloist, which is beautifully played.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: excellent performance but Mahler soul is lost
Review: This is an excellent and very bright performance of Mahler's most famous Symphony. The horn solo is indeed striking, and Sir 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 are amazing.
But something like Gustav Mahler spirit and soul is missing and when comparing this recording to the Leonard and the New York Philharmonic one can understand the difference.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Good One!
Review: This is an outstanding performance. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Rattle, but the stars are the Berliners, who seem completely engaged in the music-making. Great sound.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Triumphant Debut
Review: This is an outstanding performance. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Rattle, but the stars are the Berliners, who seem completely engaged in the music-making. Great sound.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: beautifully played
Review: This performance of the Mahler 5th, like that of Barenboim's with the Chicago Symphony, is a very fine middle of the road interpretation in high quality sound, perhaps a bit more imaginative in places, but not radically different. The biggest difference I hear is between the basic sound of the two ensembles. Compared to Chicago, the Berlin Phil has a noticably sweeter sound, especially in the strings. In the adagietto movement for strings and harp, this difference becomes quite apparent. Furthermore, the brass does not stand out in the mix, as it does with Chicago, but instead, is more blended in with the rest of the orchestra. Take your choice, or get both.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Doesn't get any better than this.....
Review: Unbelievable performance! They definitely picked the right conductor to succeed Abbado.


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