Mahler: Symphony No. 4.

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 (arranged by Erwin Stein); Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (arranged by Arnold Schonberg) The Smithsonian Chamber Players/Santa Fe Pro Musica/Christine Brandes, soprano/Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano/Kenneth Slowik (Dorian Recordings DOR-90315)

We sometimes forget that recordings are a quite recent development in human history. In the earlier part of the 20th century, music lovers curious about the symphonies of Gustav Mahler did not have the luxury of choosing amongst dozens of recordings of his symphonies. They either heard a performance (and not on the radio, of course ...) by an orchestra, they read through the score if they could get their hands on one, maybe then trying to sound some things out on a piano, or they simply relied on accounts by those who had been so lucky as to have been to a concert.

For some music lovers, another way to hear Mahler's music was to take the score, reduce the complex orchestration down to a chamber arrangement, and then assemble enough talented musicians to hear the bare bones of the score. This new Dorian recording of Symphony No. 4 and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen ("Songs of a Wayfarer") is of arrangements made so that Arnold Schonberg and his musical circle could get together to play and appreciate Mahler's music in the dreary days following World War I. The Wayfarer Songs are an arrangement by Schonberg himself, and the Symphony No. 4 is presented in an arrangement by Edwin Stein.

Yes, one of the glories of Mahler's music is the way he was able to create such a grand and glorious sound from the full orchestra, and no, you certainly don't get that fullness of sound in these arrangements; however, for those who love the music of Mahler, to hear these stripped-down arrangements is to get right to the heart of the music. To hear a small group playing on old instruments is to hear the sound of Vienna that lies beneath this music. To hear these stripped-down arrangements is to gaze upon Mahler's heart.

As we have come to expect from Dorian, the sound quality is excellent: warm, robust, dynamic, clean, and spacious. The liner notes are excellent, making this release an excellent opportunity for education and inspiration for those who own many recordings of Mahler's music but who would love to hear something really new and different and wonderful.