Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. Conductor Paavo Järvi, Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (Alpha)
Liberation 28 March 2025 Paavo Järvi dreamed of recording the complete Mahler symphonies with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, and their first performance, a powerfully lyrical No. 5, meticulous in every detail, is a shock. A poisonous and overwhelming funeral march; a dizzying Scherzo; an Adagietto bursting with grace … The Estonian conductor captivates with his firmness in directing the discourse and his handling of dynamics and polyphony. Successfully performing the Fifth, however arduous, does not guarantee triumph over the others—Markus Stenz learned this the hard way—but when one can deploy such a sense of the inexorable and the tragic, all hope is possible. Eric Dahan
