From 1988 to 1995, Michael Tilson Thomas served as principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, succeeding Claudio Abbado. His first association with the ensemble came in 1970 when he stepped in as a last minute replacement for Gennady Rozhdestvensky.
In a recent obituary published by the London Symphony Orchestra, violinist Sarah Quinn recalls,
I first worked with MTT nearly 30 years ago, when I was a nervous student sitting at the back of the second violin section. During a rehearsal of Mahler 5, he sought me out in the break to introduce himself – a gesture that perfectly captured his warmth, curiosity and humanity….MTT was always deeply engaged, not only with the music but with the people making it. Playing under him was exhilarating; his energy was utterly infectious…
Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 begins with a solemn funeral march, followed by a ferocious second movement bearing the interpretive marking, “Stormy, with the utmost vehemence.” The “short, short, short, long” rhythmic motif of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony haunts the music. Beginning with the Symphony’s monumental scherzo, Mahler moves beyond the ghostly motif. Just before the celebratory finale comes the Adagietto (“little adagio”), a musical love letter scored for strings and harp. It is filled with dreamy, sensuous harmonic suspensions and passionate longing.
Here is the Adagietto, performed by Michael Tilson Thomas and the London Symphony Orchestra. This performance was recorded on May 15, 2022 at the Barbican Centre: