Among modern performances of
Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4 in G major that have a semblance of authentic Viennese style,
Gerard Schwarz's live presentation with the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a good example, with lilting rhythms, flexible tempos, and buoyant expressions that are strongly linked to that tradition. All this might seem a little hard to accomplish with an American conductor and an English orchestra, but it goes to show that Vienna is as much a state of mind as it is a real place with a famous musical identity. In this recording, the Symphony No. 4 often feels swept up in a dance, or a series of dance-like sections, largely because
Mahler's basic rhythmic impulses and
Schwarz's rubato and sense of phrasing lend themselves easily to a dance interpretation, whether the beat is counted in 3/4 time or not. This lightness of movement, as well as its graceful feeling, count in this performance's favor and cover a number of minor musical problems, such as occasional inaccuracies in articulation, peculiar dynamics, and a general oddness of balance, where a woodwind here or there may stick out obtrusively, apart from any obvious solo passage. Yet such small faults are easily forgiven when soprano Maureen Mackay's radiant singing of "Das himmlische leben" is heard in the Finale. Artek's reproduction is decent, except for the balance problems due to microphone placement.