Gustav Mahler

Symphonie Nr. 4 (Endfassung 1911)

Of all his symphonies, Mahler paid particular attention to the Fourth, his favorite and troubled child. 'Das himmlische Leben', a humoresque for soprano and piano composed in 1892, which he had already intended to use in the final movement of his Third Symphony under the title 'Was mir das Kind erzählt' (What the Child Tells Me), eventually became the nucleus and final movement of the Fourth. Even after it went to press in 1901, Mahler kept tweaking the instrumentation. His maxim 'not without my retouches' led to a whole series of corrected subsequent editions. It is probably no coincidence that it was the Fourth Symphony that Mahler performed in two of his last concerts in New York in February 1911. He took this opportunity to revisit the score and parts. The performance material with its 'retouches' served as the main source for the new edition. In addition, corrections and inscriptions that Mahler made in connection with performances of the Fourth in scores by conductors such as Mengelberg and Wickenhauser were included for the first time.