Jonathan Ellis wrote:

>Now, all you Mahler addicts out there: is Chailly's version so different
>to those I may have heard in the past? Is it so superior as to convince me
>of the quality of the music? Or is it just that Mahler appeals more to
>somebody who has just past fifty than to somebody a lot younger? And where
>do I go from here? To "Das Lied"? To other symphonies? Tell me - I am
>thirsting for more.....

Uh-oh, bitten by the Mahler bug.  As a layman subscriber to the Mahler-List
and the owner of six M5's, in my opinion there is nothing radically
different about Chailly's version, which I own and enjoy.  The sonics
are out of this world, except that I wanted a little more oomph from the
Scherzo's alpine peak section.  But that does not take anything away from
this outstanding disc.  The climax of the Finale is just breathtaking.  And
pay special attention to the liner notes, written by Mahler expert Donald
Mitchell.

What next, you ask? A lot of people like M1, the best debut symphony ever
written.  Others like M4, which has the reputation for being the most
accessible of all of them..  My suggestion is M2.  If that opening doesn't
get you, nothing will.  From there, it doesn't matter, as once you're in
Mahlerworld, you're a goner.

If you find yourself wanting to learn more, visit the Mahler-List archives
at

   http://listserv.uh.edu/archives/mahler-list.html.

I bet you'll stay longer than you thought.

Mitch Friedfeld