CD review: Mahler: Symphony No 5: Jansons

Mariss Jansons is a much-admired conductor, while the Royal Concertgebouw is one of the greatest orchestras in the world today. To date, though, the series of live recordings they have made together for the orchestra's own label has been underwhelming. No one could deny the polish of the playing in this account of Mahler's fifth, whether it is the suave string phrasing, the perfectly dovetailed woodwind, or the contributions of a brass section that manages to be assertive yet never domineering. There's never a real character to Jansons' performance - not even in the funeral march, which seems positively prosaic. The finale goes with a bit more vigour, though even here Jansons undoes all the good work with a ludicrous deceleration for the final triumphant chorale. Very disappointing.