Our recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 receives the prestigious ICMA Award.
The jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) listened closely to 307 recordings, 18 of which will receive one of the coveted awards at a gala event in Bamberg on 18 March 2026 - including the recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich under the direction of Paavo Järvi. The orchestra and its music director had already received an ICMA Award two years ago for their recording of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8.
Symphony No. 5 was the first to be released as part of our Mahler cycle. It has already been honoured with the German Record Critics' Award 3/25. Now the ICMA jury has also given this prelude a very positive assessment: «Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 is one of the most significant Romantic masterpieces and has countless excellent recordings, including some iconic ones from Bernstein to Rattle. Nevertheless, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and Paavo Järvi manage to stand alongside their great predecessors as one of the best. The performance is characterized by unparalleled precision, wonderful harmony, and perfectly judged tempos, but it is mainly thanks to its arc that this monumental 70-minute work never lets the listener’s attention wander for a single moment.»
