This is the other singer of my favorite Mahler symphony. I already wrote about the other. I like Elly Ameling’s voice better, but I think this recording is just superb. I have not listened to it enough, I admit.
Mahler’s fourth symphony is his most accessible. It is telling a fairytale, and ending with the question what happiness will be waiting in heaven. The hopefulness of this vision must have been of great help to the tormented composer. When I think of Mahler, I always envision this clever man that always has this serious frown on his face. That slight look of depression in his eyes. There is a movie made about his life (Ken Russel, 1974). I have seen it, but I don’t remember a lot about it.