Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G Major

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 – Elizabeth Watts, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Marc Albrecht

Symphony No. 4 by Mahler portrays another side of the composer, different to the one seen by the general public until then. No major battles are fought in this work; rather, it is a portrayal of a childlike vision of life and a better world in the Hereafter.

Mahler’s Dutch friend and colleague Alphons Diepenbrock may well have provided the most fitting description of the nature of this symphony and its position within Mahler’s œuvre: ‘[...] in his Symphony No. 4, he exclusively praises the sensations of the soul, severed from all earthly ties, from various angles – either as childish yet unearthly merriment, or as the highest ecstasy attained by mystics in bygone years during the contemplation of the divine.

However, one should not search for irony here. The work is like a beautiful dream, an indispensable link in the series of Mahler’s nine symphonies which speak sufficiently of harsh reality, and that, according to some, will one day be considered the monumental musical œuvre of the present day.’

The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra lives up to its reputation for its brilliant Mahler performances and surpasses all expectations under the baton of the conductor Marc Albrecht. Elizabeth Watts’s performance in the final movement is surely one not to be missed. The chemistry between Watts and the orchestra is utterly pervasive. Possessing a voice described by International Record Review as ‘one of the most beautiful Britain has produced in a generation’, Watts sweeps the listeners off their feet as she concludes this sunny, accessible symphony by Mahler.