Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in Building a Library with Alice Farnham and Andrew McGregor

Available for 29 days

Andrew McGregor with the best new classical releases, joined by violinist Adrian Chandler and conductor Alice Farnham, who picks her favourite recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 5. 2.10pm Andrew is joined by violinist Adrian Chandler, director of early music ensemble La Serenissima, to showcase some of the new releases that have caught his ear this week. 3pm Building a Library: conductor Alice Farnham surveys recordings of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 and makes a top recommendation. Since his death in 1911, Gustav Mahler has come to occupy a central place in the history of music and in the orchestral repertory. His Symphony No. 5 is one of the most popular of Mahler's nine symphonies. It was composed during the summers of 1901 and 1902, in the middle of which period Mahler met Alma Schindler, the daughter of a famous landscape painter. Mahler proposed to her in December 1901, and the symphony, with its trajectory from mourning to triumph, reflects this development in its composer’s personal life. Top choice: Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly (cond.) Decca 460 299 2 3.45pm Record of the Week: the new release that has most impressed Andrew this week.