TELARC - Gustav Mahler - Symphony No 5 with Yoel Levi Conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

The Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler was composed in 1901 and 1902, mostly during the summer months at Mahler's cottage at Maiernigg. Among its most distinctive features are the trumpet solo that opens the work and the frequently performed Adagietto.

The musical canvas and emotional scope of the work, which lasts over an hour, are huge. The symphony is sometimes described as being in the key of C♯ minor since the first movement is in this key (the finale, however, is in D). Mahler objected to the label: "From the order of the movements (where the usual first movement now comes second) it is difficult to speak of a key for the 'whole Symphony', and to avoid misunderstandings the key should best be omitted."

The piece is scored for a large orchestra made up of:
woodwinds: 4 flutes (3rd & 4th doubling piccolos; for the last two bars of the Scherzo, all four flutes play piccolo), 3 oboes (3rd doubling English horn), 3 clarinets in B-flat and A (3rd doubling clarinet in D1 and bass clarinet), 3 bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon)
brass: 6 horns in F2, 4 trumpets in B-flat and F, 3 trombones, tuba
percussion: timpani, bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, triangle, tam-tam, whip, glockenspiel
strings: harp, violins I, II, violas, violoncellos, double basses

1The part is written for a clarinet in D in the score, but as this instrument is now virtually obsolete, almost all clarinetists play this part on an E flat clarinet. In the Critical Edition of the score published in 2001 (see below), the editors have the second player taking the E flat clarinet part with the third doubling on bass clarinet only.

2Mahler uses a solo obligato horn in the Scherzo. This is not counted as a seventh horn because only four other horns play in that movement.

For more information on this symphony, please go to the Wiki page @ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_(Mahler)