Mahler: Symphony No. 5 / Simon Rattle

Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmoniker

Mahler: Symphony No.5

Sir Simon Rattle rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. Born in Liverpool, Rattle studied piano and violin, and his early work with orchestras was as a percussionist. His time with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 1980 to 1998 drew him to the attention of critics and the public. Rattle increased both his profile and that of the orchestra over his tenure. Rattle made his conducting debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1987, and in 1999, he was appointed as successor to Claudio Abbado as the orchestra's principal conductor. The recordings of Sir Simon Rattle's cycle of the Mahler Symphonies commenced in 1986 with the Second Symphony and was completed in 2002 with the Fifth. During that time Sir Simon's period as chief conductor of the CBSO came to an end and he took up his current position with the Berlin Philharmonic. Rattle's Mahler interpretations are widely acknowledged by huge, worldwide critical acclaim and many of these recordings are among the best available versions. Indeed, most of them have received awards from some of the world's most prestigious music publications and organisations, among them Gramophone in the UK; Diapason in France, Grammy in the US as well as awards from Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and the Czech Republic. The Fifth is markedly different from its predecessors. Mahler's capacity for renewal is astonishing and no two symphonies are alike, and hardly any of the fifty movements within those symphonies follow the same pattern. The Fifth is purely instrumental and it follows a largely conventional symphonic shape.

Price: $13.98