Bill says this is not a bushel of whiskey or carrots but a remarkable number of big symphonies that bear the number five. Consider the fifth symphonies of Beethoven, Mahler, Sibelius, and Shostakovich, and we will not run out! The first few symphonies a composer writes are complicated, but by the fifth symphony, they know how to construct it and what they want to say in the music. Most of these symphonies are composed at the mid-point in a composer’s life, although our first composer, Franz Schubert, was only 16 when he wrote his Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major. We will listen to great orchestras conducted by Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Eugene Ormandy.
Bushel of Fifths
Playlist
Episode 1
Schubert, Franz: Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, D. 485: I. Allegro
Vienna Philharmonic/Karl Böhm
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 & Schubert: Symphony No. 5
DG 4474332
5:47
Schubert, Franz: Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, D. 485: III. Menuetto (Allegro molto)
Vienna Philharmonic/Karl Böhm
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 & Schubert: Symphony No. 5
DG 4474332
5:53
Schubert, Franz: Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, D. 485: IV. Allegro vivace
Vienna Philharmonic/Karl Böhm
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 & Schubert: Symphony No. 5
DG 4474332
5:54
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67 – 1. Allegro Con Brio
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Carlos Kleiber
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
Supersense 002
7:21
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67 – 2. Andante Con Moto
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Carlos Kleiber
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
Supersense 002
10:00
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67 – 3. Scherzo: Allegro
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Carlos Kleiber
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
Supersense 002
5:08
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67 – 4. Allegro
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Carlos Kleiber
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
Supersense 002
10:49
Episode 2
Mendelssohn, Felix: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 107, MWV N 15
“Reformation”: I. Andante – Allegro con fuoco
Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 1-5
DG 4797337
11:33
Mendelssohn, Felix: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 107, MWV N 15
“Reformation”: IV. Chorale: “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” – Allegro vivace – Allegro maestoso
Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 1-5
DG 4797337
8:00
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64: 3. Valse (Allegro moderato)
Berlin Philharmonic/Herbert von Karajan
Symphony No.5
DG 2542 108
6:04
Nielsen, Carl: Symphony No. 5, Op. 50, FS 97: Ia.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis
Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5
LSO Live LSO0694
1:16
Nielsen, Carl: Symphony No. 5, Op. 50, FS 97:1b. Adagio III. Allegro
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis
Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5
LSO Live LSO0694
0:24:33
Episode 3
Mahler, Gustav: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor:
I. Trauermarsch. In gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein Kondukt
Berlin Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel
Mahler: Symphony No.5
Berliner Philharmoniker BPHR2003644
12:41
Mahler, Gustav: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor:
III. Scherzo. Kräftig, nicht zu schnell
Berlin Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel
Mahler: Symphony No.5
Berliner Philharmoniker BPHR2003644
18:18
Mahler, Gustav: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor:
IV. Adagietto. Sehr langsam
Berlin Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel
Mahler: Symphony No.5
Berliner Philharmoniker BPHR2003644
9:36
Mahler, Gustav: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor:
V. Rondo-Finale. Allegro
Berlin Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel
Mahler: Symphony No.5
Berliner Philharmoniker BPHR2003644
15:00
Episode 4
Sibelius, Jean: Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82:
I. Tempo molto moderato – Allegro moderato
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos 5 & 6
LSO Live LSO0537
13:37
Sibelius, Jean: Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82:
II. Andante mosso, quasi allegretto III. Allegro Molto
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos 5 & 6
LSO Live LSO0537
17:09
Vaughan Williams, Ralph: Symphony No. 5 in D Major: I. Preludio
Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli
Symphony No.5 in D Major
Angel Records 35952
11:06
Vaughan Williams, Ralph: Symphony No. 5 in D Major: IV. Passacaglia. Moderato
Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli
Symphony No.5 in D Major
Angel Records 35952
10:27
Episode 5
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: I. Moderato
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra/Yevgeny Mravinsky
Symphony No. 5, Op. 47
Erato 45752-2
15:01
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: III. Largo IV. Allegro non troppo
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra/Yevgeny Mravinsky
Symphony No. 5, Op. 47
Erato 45752-2
0:24:00
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: IV. Allegro non troppo
New York Philharmic/ Bernstein
Symphony No. 5, Op. 47
CBS 6511
2:00
Prokofiev, Sergei: Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 100: V. Allegro giocoso
The Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
Symphony No.5
Odyssey 30490
9:23
