It seems that Gary Bertini, like Gustav Mahler, is destined to be better remembered after his death than he was known during his life. When he passed away in 2005, he was little known outside Israel, Japan and continental Europe and nowhere near as widely recognised as the glamour conductors who appear on the пїЅmajorпїЅ labels. His recordings were few and hard to find. A year after his passing, Capriccio has launched a Gary Bertini Edition (see, for example, review) featuring live recordings drawn from the archives of the KпїЅlner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, and EMI has re-released his Mahler cycle.
Experience the powerful and emotive sounds of Mahler's Symphony No. 5, performed by the renowned Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of maestro Hartmut Haenchen. This captivating CD features a selection of tracks that showcase the orchestra's exceptional musicianship and Haenchen's masterful interpretation of Mahler's iconic work. From the hauntingly beautiful Adagietto to the triumphant finale, this album is a must-have for classical music enthusiasts seeking a truly exceptional listening experience.
"…It would be impossible for any single recording of this towering masterpiece ever to be considered definitive, or appeal to all tastes, but this searing performance, with the LSO in phenomenal form, should be heard by all who love Mahler’s’ music." ~SA-CD.net
…In sum, this is simply a wonderful performance, excellently played, recorded, and sung, and it’s different enough from all of the competition to justify purchase even if you already think you own enough versions of this symphony.
From the sounds outside his bedroom window–a kind of sonic goulash of military marches, ethnic dance bands, church bells, ritual prayer, and nature itself–Gustav Mahler created an entire universe of emotion in music. In an astonishingly productive twenty-five years, he fashioned ten symphonies and 45 songs of cosmic scale, great beauty, and jarring emotional twists and turns. And he did it all in the brief moments he could spare from his day job as one of Europe's preeminent conductors. In Gustav Mahler: Origins and Legacy, Michael Tilson Thomas returns to the provincial Austro-Hungarian city of Mahler's childhood, and bears witness to his grand achievements, great sorrows, and daring musical explorations into the depths of the human soul. Join MTT and the San Francisco Symphony as they trace Mahler's rise as a young conductor, his career-crowning appointments in Vienna and New York, his turbulent marriage and the sudden, tragic death of his daughter–and show how his stormy inner life inspired new and ever-more heartbreaking heights of creativity.
"This is yet another triumph for PentaTone’s RQR series. With visionary conducting and exemplary playing and singing, this set is a treasure to listen to from both an audiophiles' and a musician’s perspective. (…) To sum up: for all Mahlerians, this is an essential addition to the discography." ~SA-CD.net