GTMF releases live recording of Mahler’s 5th – JH News & Guide

Some call the symphonies of Gustav Mahler “difficult,” but really it just takes repeated listening to come to appreciate their structural arcs, masterful polyphony, soulful introspection and joyous release.

Thanks to the Grand Teton Music Festival, there’s a new recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 to settle in with: a live recording made from the Festival Orchestra’s July 26-27, 2024, performances, with Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles at the podium.

The Festival made its new Reference Recordings release available as standard, high-resolution and Dolby Atmos digital formats on March 13. CDs are expected to be available in May.

Starting his third decade year with Jackson Hole’s 65-year-old classical music institution, Runnicles has made it a more-or-less annual affair to conduct one of Mahler’s symphonies during the summer-long series. (This year will be an exception, as the Festival has vacated its home venue, Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village, while it undergoes extensive renovations.) Here in the Tetons, he had conducted all but the Symphony No. 8 — nicknamed the “Symphony of a Thousand,” for the enormous complement of instruments and vocalists that share the stage.

Over his years as a conductor, Runnicles has established himself as one of finest interpreters of the composer’s orchestral works, earning praise for the continuity he brings to the often long works and for his ability to bring audiences along with him.

Listen to Mahler: Symphony No. 5 here.

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