Mahler: Vierte Symphonie / Schnabel: Lieder aus, Op. 11 & 14 (Kammerfassungen) MythenEnsembleOrchestral, Rachel Harnisch & Graziella Contratto

• Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911): Symphonie No. 4:
• 1 Symphonie No. 4: I. Bedächtig, nicht eilen 17:04
• 2 Symphonie No. 4: II. In gemächlicher Bewegung, ohne Hast 10:05
• 3 Symphonie No. 4: III. Ruhevoll 21:08
• 4 Symphonie No. 4: IV. Sehr behaglich 10:52
• Artur Schnabel (1882 - 1951): 10 Lieder, Op. 11:
• 5 10 Lieder, Op. 11: II. Dann 02:59
• 6 10 Lieder, Op. 11: IV. Marienlied 01:56
• 7 10 Lieder, Op. 11: VII. Sieh mein Kind ich gehe 01:34
• 7 Lieder, Op. 14:
• 8 7 Lieder, Op. 14: IV. Abendlandschaft 02:05
• 9 7 Lieder, Op. 14: VI. Heisst es viel dich bitten? 01:48
• Total Runtime 01:09:31

Info for Mahler: Vierte Symphonie / Schnabel: Lieder aus, Op. 11 & 14 (Kammerfassungen)

Since the memorial concert for Artur Schnabel that took place in my hometown of Schwyz in 2009, which we shall return to later, the MythenEnsembleOrchestra has been regularly performing the chamber version of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony under my musical direction: at festivals, in museum concerts or in private venues. Consisting of freelance chamber musicians and soloists from various Swiss symphony orchestras, the ensemble functions like a small republic of art in which each individual musician has a clear say.

This approach seemed ideally suited to the music of Mahler and its manner of transforming the individual orchestral voices into characters, sound metaphors and voices of the people. From a historical perspective, we felt indebted to the tradition of the Society for Private Musical Performances founded in 1918 in association with Arnold Schönberg’s composition classes. Due to the inflationary economic conditions at the time, the music enthusiasts of the Vienna Circle could not afford full symphonies and had to rely on specially arranged, cheaper chamber renditions in private settings. In the ingenious chamber version by Klaus Simon from 2007, the symphonic scoring of Mahler’s work is similarly limited to just 14 instruments with a solo soprano.

The arranger manages to reproduce the full colour spectrum of Mahler’s orchestration with a modest woodwind section, one horn, a string quintet, piano, accordion and two percussionists. As interpreters we were presented with the delightful task of sensitively sounding out and shaping redistributed motifs and unexpected sound patterns in the newly formed score – A huge pleasure for all 14 soloists and the Swiss soprano Rachel Harnisch!

Rachel Harnisch, soprano MythenEnsembleOrchestral Graziella Contratto, conductor

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Booklet for Mahler: Vierte Symphonie / Schnabel: Lieder aus, Op. 11 & 14 (Kammerfassungen)