Bruno Walter’s unstinting advocacy of Mahler’s music throughout his long career has become the stuff of legend and lends his recordings a special authority. Walter understood the Fifth Symphony particularly well, having worked closely with the composer himself during the protracted revision and publishing process. This 1947 performance of the Fifth Symphony was the world première commercial recording of the complete work and was often cited by the conductor as the one with which he was most satisfied. It is ten minutes shorter than many performances from the latter part of the twentieth century but a lean directness and lack of indulgence allow the symphonic structure to register with tautness, logic and considerable power.