Mahler: Symphony No. 5 / Barenboim, Chicago Symphony
Daniel Barenboim's performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 begins with a  certain sense of detachment and continues that way, seeming both calculated and  calculating by turns. The composer's famous aphorism about the process of  symphonic composition being in the nature of "building a world" is quoted in the  excellent and detailed booklet notes (no shortage of scholarship here), so it's  intriguing to observe how Barenboim chooses to contain the warmth and passion  inherent in the work. In building a world, perhaps, one must perforce define its  boundaries, yet at the same time it's this very process of containment that  draws attention to these qualities. Musically, then, this is undoubtedly an  interesting piece of work. In production terms, we're offered a very good  argument for the DVD as a vehicle for orchestral performance. What may appear at  first glance to be irritatingly skittish camerawork is in fact a perfect  demonstration of how careful direction can draw attention to particular areas of  the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at exactly the right musical moment. The sound  quality, though aggressively digital, is airy and detailed.--Roger Thomas,  Amazon.co.uk