From June 2024, a reference recording indeed. Sir Donald and his superb orchestra get to the heart of this score through exhaustive attention to articulation, details, dynamics, and balances, and come out the other side with a version of this (now) much-played Symphony that is totally musical in every step it takes – from a trumpet solo that mixes barrack-square regimentalism and symphonic scoping to a joyous ending via an integration of everything in between, Runnicles not cherry-picking episodes. Great playing throughout, wonderfully intimate strings (violins antiphonal, basses left-positioned) in the Adagietto – spacious and deeply-felt if not of Scherchen-length – with the contrapuntal Finale a miracle of clarity that builds seamlessly to a celebratory return of the second-movement chorale and an uplifting dash through the final bars, suitably festive. Reference Recordings FR-763 [SACD].
https://referencerecordings.com/recording/mahler-symphony-no-5