Pentatone is delighted to announce a long-term, multi-album partnership with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM). The exclusive collaboration will kick off with a recording of Mahler’s 5th Symphony, to be released on 3 March 2023. The OSM make their Pentatone debut under Music Director Rafael Payare’s tenure. For Payare, the Fifth is the last symphony that shows Mahler still looking forward to what the future might bring, unlike his subsequent, much darker and existential works. Despite that optimism, there is enough tragedy and struggle along the way, resonating with Mahler’s life at the time of creation. Payare’s proficiency in late-Romantic repertoire coupled with the matured, distinctive sound of the Montréal players make this a collaboration to look out for. Quote from Rafael Payare, Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal: “Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony is a deeply personal work, written at the prime of the composer’s life. The extremes in the music from the darkness of the funeral march to the ecstatic joy of the finale very much reflect the highs and lows of his own life at the time, which range from surviving a near-death experience to marrying his beloved Alma and becoming director of the Vienna Court Orchestra. “The Fifth is the last of Mahler’s symphonies to have an almost naive quality; his subsequent symphonic works would take a much darker, more existential turn. But in the Fifth, we have a composer who, while a fully mature artist, is still looking forward to what the future might bring. This is music brimming with exuberant energy, hope and a deep love of life. “I could not be happier to be immersed in Mahler’s score with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Their technical finesse and their tonal colour, range and depth bring to life the vast musical canvas that the composer created. For me personally, it is also a beautiful way to begin a long and rewarding relationship with this wonderful orchestra. We invite you to experience Mahler’s rich and profoundly moving music with us.