Mahler: Symphony No. 5
The Royal Concertgebouw has recorded this symphony only once before,  with Bernard Haitink--a performance of no special involvement or excitement.  Given that they are one of the world's three great Gustav Mahler orchestras  (with the New York Philharmonic and the Czech Philharmonic), it was high time  that they had another crack at it under a more interpretively proactive  conductor. While Riccardo Chailly's performance isn't exactly the last word in  orchestral imagination, so magnificent is the playing and sound of this disc  that no one is likely to care. This is, then, principally a showcase for a great  orchestra with a great Mahler tradition, and that's good enough for most of us.--David Hurwitz