Over the last 40 years, I’ve had the good fortune to see and hear Mahler’s Fifth Symphony – with the Detroit Symphony in its heyday in Detroit under Antal Dorati, in Sydney under Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic, in New York under Daniele Gatti, in London with the Vienna Philharmonic and Sydney again with the London Symphony under Claudio Abbado.

My sentimental favourite has always been the 1969 EMI recording with Sir John Barbirolli and the New Philharmonia, widely revered for its warmth and humanity. The fact that Barbirolli died soon long after adds a dimension of poignancy.

This new release on Reference Recordings with Donald Runnicles and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra at Jackson Hole, Wyoming is one for the ages, like so many Reference Recordings, in terms of performance, interpretation and sound. The range, depth, clarity and resonance are all superb for an orchestra which draws its players from 84 ensembles in 72 countries. They don’t sound like a typical “festival ensemble”; they sound as if they’ve been playing together for years. 

Perhaps that should be playing to each other...