BFO - Gustav Mahler: Symphony no. 4 in G major - Classic FM

Mahler's Symphony No 4 is by far his most accessible and possibly his most performed symphony.  Technically, this recording and the sound quality is superb (Super Audio CD), the Budapest Festival Orchestra perform as a sensitive and powerful ensemble evoking sound textures that I have never before heard in Mahler's fourth symphony.  However, the surprising dynamics and different consistencies of tone are certainly due to Ivan Fischer's somewhat contentious and personal understanding of the work.  During Mahler's professional career he was revered as a conductor and his compositions were relatively little-known.  A century later his popularity is greater than ever, but his music was to a large extent interpreted  by four great European conductors who were dedicated to his cause - Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, Willem Mengelberg and Jascha Horenstein.

This recording is very different to the bulk of the interpretations that have come before.

Related Links