Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)
Symphony No 5 in C-sharp minor (1901–02)
Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra/Sir Donald Runnicles
rec. live, 26–27 July 2024, Walk Festival Hall, Teton Village, Wyoming, USA
Reference Recordings FR-763 SACD [73]
I’m familiar with Donald Runnicles’ pedigree as a Mahler conductor. During his time as principal conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (2009-16), he performed a number of Mahler’s works. Happily, some of the performances were preserved by way of covermount CDs issued with the BBC Music Magazine and I have most of them in my collection. There was a 2010 performance of the Eighth symphony, given at the Edinburgh International Festival, a 2016 account of the Fourth symphony, and a 2014 BBC Proms performance of the Ninth. I have a suspicion there may also be a Runnicles recording of Das Lied von der Erde out there somewhere, though if there is I’ve never encountered it.
To set this recording in context, the Grand Teton Music Festival is held each summer in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA. The 2026 Festival will be number sixty-six. Runnicles has been music director of the festival since 2005. Among the many events, the main orchestral concerts are given by the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, which draws its membership from across North America and Europe. Just out of interest, I did an online search for a few of the principal players who feature on this recording. I selected the names at random and found that there was quite a connection with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (of which Runnicles was Principal Guest Conductor between 2001 and 2023). The Grand Teton orchestra’s concertmaster, for example, fulfils the same role with the Atlanta SO; the principal trumpet is now principal trumpeter with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but prior to that he too was a principal in Atlanta. The Grand Teton principal flute has occupied the principal chair in the Utah Symphony since 2012. The principal horn, who has such a crucial role in the third movement of Mahler’s Fifth, recently retired, after over 35 years, as a Professor at Northwestern Benen School of Music; she was also a member of the Chicago Symphony for 20 years until 1998 and for most of that time was the associate principal horn. These are just random examples which speak to the pedigree of the Grand Teton orchestra. They may only play together for a few weeks each year but, my goodness, they sound like a full-time orchestra. This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered Runnicles and this orchestra on disc. In 2022 they partnered with Garrick Ohlsson in a cycle of the Beethoven piano concertos, which Reference issued the following year; I shared Stephen Greenbank’s admiration for the set (review).
Donald Runnicles leads a terrific account of the Fifth symphony. The opening funeral march unfolds with steady gravitas. When the quicker music arrives (from 5:35), the performance is turbulent, dramatic and powerful; Mahler unleashes strong emotions in these pages and the musicians respond accordingly. When the funeral march returns, Runnicles not only makes the music steady and dignified, there’s also obvious depth of feeling. His orchestra really digs deep at the start of the second movement: the subsidiary marking is Mit grösster Vehemenz and that’s just what we hear; the music leaps off the page, Runnicles conducting with evident drive and determination. However, Mahler presents strong contrasts in this movement; there are several calmer episodes (the first begins as early as 1:30) and Runnicles ensures that these contrasts are keenly observed.
The central Scherzo thrusts the principal horn, Gail Williams into the spotlight. She’s excellent, whether playing solo or leading her fine section. After the highly-strung emotions in the first two movements, Mahler makes the Scherzo into the symphony’s pivot; the music now becomes much more outgoing. Runnicles keeps the music dancing along in this extended Scherzo. The rhythms are nicely sprung and there’s a palpable feeling of the outdoors. The performance is spirited, idiomatic and affectionate. I really enjoyed this. I think Runnicles gets the pacing of the famous Adagietto just right; his performance plays for 10:05. The playing is sensitive and warm and I got the definite impression that the music was being allowed to speak for itself – though I’m sure that impression stemmed from scrupulous preparation in rehearsal. There’s a simple eloquence to this performance and, at times, ardour; hearing the music played this way, you feel that those who have described it as Mahler’s love letter to Alma must be right. The concluding Rondo is ebullient and upbeat. All sections of the orchestra shine in a virtuoso performance. Incidentally, this movement offers a prime example of the benefits of Runnicles’ decision to divide the violins left and right. (I think he has the cellos seated to the left of the firsts and the violas to the right of the second violins with the double basses at the back of the orchestra, to the conductor’s left.) The gleaming brass chorales (from 14:04) put the crown on a super rendition of the finale, after which there’s a hectic – but tightly controlled – sprint to the finish line. There’s no applause at the end – indeed, I detected no audience noise at any point during the performance – but I bet the audience went wild at the conclusion of the symphony.
We’re far from short of recordings of Mahler’s Fifth symphony but there’s always room for another version, provided it’s outstanding; this performance amply fulfils that requirement. The playing of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra is consistently top-drawer and I found Donald Runnicles’ interpretation compelling from start to finish. This is among the finest accounts of this symphony that I’ve heard. It helps that the recorded sound is fully worthy of the standard of the performance. The engineering team of Kevin Harbison and Vic Muenzer – the latter is also the producer – present the music in sound that is clear and has excellent depth and presence. I listened though loudspeakers and also through headphones and got equally good results in both cases.
I understand that this year Reference Recordings marks its fiftieth anniversary. They have a well-deserved reputation for issuing very high-quality performances in terrific sound. This Mahler Fifth is in the best traditions of the house.
Other reviews: Dominic Hartley and Ralph Moore
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Great review, John, with which I wholeheartedly agree. Runnicles is a fabulous Mahler conductor. I have been lucky enough to catch his Mahler live in Sydney a couple of times (he’s the Sydney Symphony’s Principal Guest Conductor). He led a powerful Sixth earlier this year, and an excellent Fourth a couple of years ago. He did indeed perform Das Lied with the BBC Scottish SO, and the recording was issued on Vol.18 No.2 of the BBC Music Magazine. There was also a Klagende Lied (Vol. 29 No.5) and an alternative 5th from the 2015 Proms (Vol. 32 No. 10). They all seem to turn up from time to time on the usual online marketplaces.