Gustav Mahler : Symphony No. 4 G major

For Gustav Mahler, summertime meant time to compose. He composed his Fourth Symphony in the few summer months of 1899 and 1900. Catchy themes and his Wunderhorn song "Das himmlische Leben," used in the fourth movement and considered the basis of the work, make this symphony one of Mahler's most popular today. But appearances are deceptive. Mahler provocatively juxtaposes idyll and abyss, and in the finale, addresses the transition from earthly to...