Conductor Philipp von Steinaecker and the Mahler Academy Orchestra released a historically informed recording of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, featuring period-appropriate instruments and performance techniques.
The release follows the ensemble’s recording of Symphony No. 9 two years ago. Both projects explore period organology to test whether historical performance practices alter the reception of Mahler’s scores, following earlier experiments on Wagner and Bruckner and previous work by François-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles on Mahler’s Symphonies No. 1 and No. 4 as well as The Song of the Earth.
The recording draws on period-specific wind and brass instruments, gut strings, and modified mutes. It also incorporates historical playing techniques, such as non-vibrato playing, rubato, and altered bowings, alongside differences in instrument construction including bores and skins.
The project relies on musicological input from Clive Brown and editorial work from Rudolf Riedel and Nick Pfefferkorn on the 2025 Breitkopf & Härtel edition, emerging amid ongoing questions over whether such historically informed approaches are relevant or merely a fashion trend that challenges Viennese traditions.
The performance departs from traditional readings by major interpreters such as Claudio Abbado—who served as von Steinaecker’s mentor—Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Klaus Tennstedt, Leonard Bernstein, Georg Solti, and Bruno Walter.
The opening movement begins with a trumpet solo by Berlin Philharmonic principal trumpet Guillaume Jehl. The interpretation emphasizes military fanfare origins from the composer’s youth, the epic struggle beginning with the First Symphony in 1888, and stark dynamic contrasts with abrupt violence expressing bitterness and grandeur.
The interpretation’s compactness serves Symphony No. 5 better than Symphony No. 9, which requires a denser string texture. In the Scherzo, the orchestra emphasizes Austrian dance rhythms, including ländler and fragments reminiscent of Schubert and Lanner. Horn calls feature a concertante role for the principal horn, aligning with the chamber-like transparency of the ensemble. The Adagietto runs for nine minutes and employs non-vibrato strings and explicit rubato.
Conductor Philipp von Steinaecker adopts a tempo for the Adagietto that is comparable to historical recordings by conductors such as Bruno Walter. The Rondo-final focuses on contrapuntal clarity, highlighting the fugal writing within the orchestration. The performance was recorded in Toblach, Italy, where Mahler composed several major works between 1908 and 1910, 115 years after the composer’s death.