Mahler: Symphony No. 4 Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas Orchestra: San Francisco Symphony Soloist (Soprano): Laura Claycomb Label: SFS Media (San Francisco Symphony’s in-house label) Release Year: 2003 (Studio Recording) Audio Format: Lossless (CD-Quality / 16-bit 44.1kHz FLAC/WAV)
The second movement, a scherzo titled Freund Hein spielt auf (Friend Death strikes up), introduces a macabre dance. The concertmaster is called upon to retune their violin to sound harsher and more eerie, representing the dance of death. The San Francisco Symphony’s strings handle this transition with aplomb, creating a texture that is unsettling yet undeniably virtuosic. MTT navigates the shifting moods—from the ghostly to the grotesque—with a deft hand, ensuring the irony lands without overwhelming the music’s lyricism. Mahler: Symphony No
MTT sits closer to Szell in clarity but adds a Californian warmth that Szell avoids. This 2003 recording of by the San Francisco
This 2003 recording of by the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) is widely regarded as a pinnacle of their Grammy-winning Mahler cycle. Captured live at Davies Symphony Hall in September 2003, it features soprano Laura Claycomb in the celestial finale. 💿 Recording Profile fading pizzicato—dropped into the void.
For the duration of that track, Elias wasn't in his apartment in 2024, worrying about rent and deadlines. He was back in the velvet seat of Davies Hall. He could smell the old paper of the program booklets. He could feel the collective intake of breath from the audience as the final note—a gentle, fading pizzicato—dropped into the void.
: High-quality digital versions and a limited edition 22-LP vinyl set provide audiophile-grade listening.
: Tilson Thomas approaches the Fourth—Mahler’s most tuneful and "upbeat" symphony—with a mix of luminous clarity and underlying shadow. Critics have praised the "silkiness" of the third-movement Adagio, calling it a high point of the entire SFS cycle.