Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 4 in G major arr. for chamber ensemble by E. Stein

Featuring

Andrea Cappelleri
Ensemble C@n't tell it
Gustav Mahler

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Composition History

Gustav Mahler's Fourth Symphony was first drafted in 1900, but its initial idea dates back to 1892.

Compositional Technique

Mahler's Fourth Symphony marked a return to 'normal' proportions with four movements and reduced orchestral forces, excluding trombones and tuba.

Critical Reception

Mahler's Fourth Symphony was initially met with a lukewarm reception, but over time became one of his most performed and beloved works.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The generative core of Mahler's Fourth Symphony was the Lied 'Das himmlische Leben' (The Heavenly Life), which also influenced his Third Symphony.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mahler described the Fourth Symphony as containing "the serenity of a higher world, alien to us, which to our eyes has something scary and hideous."

Historical Context

Erwin Stein, who arranged Mahler's Fourth Symphony for chamber ensemble, was a Jewish composer and conductor who fled Austria in 1938 due to the Anschluss.

Composition History

The Fourth Symphony ideally concludes Mahler's 'Wunderhorn-Symphonien' cycle, which references Lieder from the folk song collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn.