Episode 5
Donald Macleod introduces a complete performance of Mahler's Symphony No 4, regarded as the pinnacle of his first compositional period.
At the dawn of the 20th century, now firmly installed as the most powerful musician in Europe, Gustav Mahler bade farewell to his youthful "Wunderhorn" period, to embark on a tempestuous final decade of love and death, ecstasy and despair.
To end this week's exploration of Mahler's early years, Donald Macleod introduces a complete performance of the composer's serene Fourth Symphony, the pinnacle of his first compositional period and his most profound fusion of song and symphony before "Das Lied von Der Erde", a decade later.
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Music Played
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Gustav Mahler
Scheiden Und Meiden (Lieder und Gesänge, vol.3)
Performer: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Leonard Bernstein (piano)
- CBS M2K42196.
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Gustav Mahler
Symphony no.4 in G Major I. Bedächtig. Nicht eilen, II. In gemächlicher Bewegung, III. Ruh
Performer: Elsie Morison (soprano), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rafael Kubelik (conductor)
- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 463743.
- 1 to 4.
Broadcasts
- Fri 9 Jul 201012:00BBC Radio 3
- Fri 9 Jul 201022:00BBC Radio 3
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