David Zinman: Conductor continues Mahler cycle

Conductor David Zinman has crossed the rubycon in his quest of recording all symphonies by Gustav Mahler: Together with the Zürich Tonhalle Orchester, Zinman has just released Mahler’s “Symphony No. 5”, following high critical acclaim for the previous installments in the series. Next to offering his personal vision on one of the preeminent symphonic composers of the 20th century in collaboration with an orchestra often regarded as among the finest in Europe, David Zinman’s Mahler cycle has an additional selling point with regards to the many, many Mahler recordings already on the market: It is published on Super Audio CD and was produced especially for the medium. The transparent and powerful sound quality has in turn been unanimously praised and garnered widespread attention. By no means a trivial trait with regards to Mahler’s fifth symphony, a work which has become one of his signature pieces thanks to the inclusion of its blissfully beautiful “Adagio” in Visconti’s “Death in Venice” (apparently Mahler’s musical way of proposing to his wife alma) and its colourful eclecticism, leading from a succinct opening trumpet motive to a multifaceted spectrum of expressions.