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SWR

Gary Bertini conducts Mahler's Symphony No. 5

Modern Dramatic Romantic Triumphant
$20.99

Details

Composer
Gustav Mahler
Artist
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR
Format
CD
Label
SWR
Released
Apr 11, 2025
Catalog #
SWR19164CD
UPC
747313916481

About

'The Fifth is a cursed piece. Nobody understands it,' said Gustav Mahler in March 1905 after a performance of his Fifth Symphony in Hamburg. He had been working on his new symphony for almost three years before it premiered on 18 October 1904: in Cologne, with the Gurzenich Orchestra and Gustav Mahler at the podium. To many of his contemporaries, the work seemed too bold, too radical - perhaps also insufficiently explained, given that programmatic explanations had been added to the so-called 'Wunderhorn' Symphonies Nos. 2 to 4. Not only the number and the order of the movements seemed new, but stylistically Mahler also broke new ground with his Fifth. But now, all at once, his musical language changed, a transformation that evidently gave him some unease later. Shortly before his death, he made corrections to the instrumentation. Today the work is considered the beginning of his new creative phase, which culminated in his Ninth Symphony and it's one of his most popular symphonies. Gary Bertini was born in Bessarabia (now Moldova) in 1927. After the Second World War, he studied at the Milan Conservatory, then at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music (where he graduated in 1951), and finally at the Paris Conservatory and the ecole Normale de Musique. He founded and directed first the Rinat Choir - later named the Israel Chamber Choir - and then the Israel Chamber Ensemble with which Bertini made numerous appearances in Europe and the USA. Over the years, he has been principal conductor of the Frankfurt Opera and the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, artistic director of the New Israel Opera, and music director of the Rome Opera and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Bertini's breadth of repertoire was very impressive, reaching from the 16th century to contemporary composers.

Tracklist 5 tracks

  1. 1 I. Trauermarsch 12:33
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Trauermarsch
    Duration
    12:33
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR
    Conductor
    Gary Bertini
  2. 2 II. Stürmisch bewegt, mit grösster Vehemenz 14:27
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Stürmisch bewegt, mit grösster Vehemenz
    Duration
    14:27
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR
    Conductor
    Gary Bertini
  3. 3 III. Scherzo 16:43
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Scherzo
    Duration
    16:43
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR
    Conductor
    Gary Bertini
  4. 4 IV. Adagietto 11:05
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Adagietto
    Duration
    11:05
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR
    Conductor
    Gary Bertini
  5. 5 V. Rondo-Finale 13:36
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Rondo-Finale
    Duration
    13:36
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR
    Conductor
    Gary Bertini