Gustav Mahler -- Symphony No. 4 in G Major -- Score

This video has been subtitled for the German-impaired.

After the progressive expansion of the First, Second, and Third Symphonies, Mahler seems to have taken a drastic change in course with the Fourth. Depending on the recording, it is sometimes the shortest of his completed symphonies, and it is also the smallest in terms of orchestration, being the only one without tuba and trombones, and having "only" four horns and one set of timpani. It is, however, the only one to include sleigh bells.

Like all of Mahler's symphonies, this piece went through a complicated production. Originally intending to write six movements, three vocal and three instrumental, the final form has four movements with a solo soprano appearing only in the fourth. It is thematically tied to the three previous symphonies, all having taken inspiration from the collection of German folk poetry Des Knaben Wunderhorn . In Mahler's telling to a good friend, the Austrian violist Natalie Bauer-Lechner, the First is the life and triumph of a Hero; the Second is death, funeral, and resurrection; the Third is an exploration of nature of existence and the Divine; and the Fourth, an exploration of Heaven. Thus, the text chosen, Das Himmlische Leben (The Heavenly Life) portraying the wonders of Heaven through the eyes of a child.

The Fourth Symphony continued the pattern of Mahler's life, in the reception to his work being supremely inconsistent. Public and critical reaction to the first performances was almost universally negative, to the point that Felix Weingartner, who took the Fourth on a tour of German, was traumatized and never again conducted Mahler's music. Looking back, it is clear that, while the audiences booed and hissed, the critics were less offended than simply confused or even baffled by the music, struggling to identify its meaning and purpose. Mahler may have anticipated this; he dismissed requests (then and later) that he write programs or explanations for his music, believing that at least a portion of the audience and critics would always misinterpret or fail to understand whatever he wrote.

The irony is, despite all the negative reception initially, the Fourth would be instrumental in the revival of Mahler starting in the late 1940s. The smaller scale made it more attractive to orchestras and concert producers than his more colossal works, and it was similarly less intimidating to audiences, once they'd had a bit of introduction. There are a few other fun details to listen for: A trumpet fanfare that was reused much more prominently in the Fifth Symphony, and the extensive scordatura violin solo in the second movement, which was inspired by Arnold Böcklin's Self-Portrait With Death Playing the Fiddle .

0:00 Bedächtig, nicht eilen
16:35 In gemächlicher Bewegung, ohne Hast
25:58 Ruhevoll, poco adagio
47:16 Sehr behaglich

Source recording:    • Mahler - Symphony No 4 - Abbado  

Score sourced through the International Music Score Library Project/Petrucci Music Library: https://imslp.org/wiki/Special:Imagef...

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