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The BBC's "winner" (actually broadcast back in June, so not so recent, but I only just got around to playing the podcast) was the Vienna Bernstein with the Dudamel, Boulez and the Berlin Haitink running it fairly close in terms of unbridled critical enthusiasm.

They covered a lot of ground in a hour - the Maazel (which I like a lot) was disliked for "hyper emotionalism" and being "indulgent", a "wobbly" Gergiev and a "pallid" Norrington received the worst notices of a wide field.

It is not so much the total number of 5s (I own more shows from the 73 Zeppelin tour!) but owning more 5s than 2s or 9s seems borderline heretical.

I should get the Concertgebouw Haitink as well as the Bernstein and I want the Rattle mainly for the sound the horns make on that one.

I just wish there was a Celibdache legacy of Mahler recordings at very least of 2, 3, 5 and 9.

Aside from a brief spell in the late 50's/early 60's, Lorin Maazel never enjoyed much critical praise, rather unfairly in my opinion. I had the pleasure of hearing him conduct Mahler's Fifth with the Philharmonia at the Gateshead Sage a few years before he died and it was one of the greatest concert experiences of my life. Unfortunately his live Mahler cycle from that late period (on Signum Classics I think) is very indifferently recorded and is not to be preferred to his studio cycle from the 80's which I always rather liked, especially the Fourth with Kathleen Battle. There's also a live set with the NYPO available online: I've downloaded the Third and the Ninth and they're almost perversely slow.

Yes, it would've been interesting to hear Celibidache's take on Mahler given his obvious Brucknerian credentials. I'm sure I read somewhere though that he hated Mahler which, if true, I find very difficult to comprehend. But ol'Sergiu was a very strange, if great, man!