# 100 Favorites: # 50



## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

*Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Rafael Kubelik, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (Audite)*










It took me a long time to find my way into Mahler's Fifth Symphony. After exploring many other versions, I heard Rafael Kubelik's DG studio recording. His account of the Fifth "unlocked" the work for me. As with Kubelik's other Mahler recordings, I think his strength is perfectly judged _pacing_ that makes the music cohere and flow with a feeling of inevitability. Later, I heard Kubelik's live Fifth, recorded roughly ten years after his studio version. To my ears, this live recording has all of the strengths of the studio version -- but it feels even _more_ spontaneous and powerful. The live recording also benefits from better recorded sound. Since there's more transparency, the minute touches, the tiny details that Kubelik illuminates are more audible on the Audite CD. There are several other versions of Mahler's Fifth that I treasure -- most notably, Bernstein/VPO and Tennstedt/LPO (live) -- but, in my book, none of these surpass Kubelik and the Bavarians.


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