Album Title: Mahler Symphony N° 4
 Performer: Ivan Fischer conductor, Miah Persson soprano, Budapest Festival Orchestra
Label: Channel Classics
Running time: 57'00"
Recorded: Palace of Arts, Budapest September 2008

What should Mahler's Fourth really sound like? That's the immediate question presenting itself after the first listen to this Ivan Fischer recording. I had no doubt about his five later efforts but can this one convince us by standing so far apart from the dramatic Mahlerian intensity we are used to?


I think that is the question which summarizes this version of the Hungarian conductor with the Budapest Festival Orchestra forces.

Ivan Fischer definitely decided to explore the purest and happiest mode of Mahler's childhood. According to the Hungarian conductor, this symphony of fairy tales mandates a different kind of orchestration more akin to chamber music and without the usual massive Mahlerian arsenal of brass. The relative freedom of choices made by Fischer could be linked to his declaration that he did not intend to record a complete Mahler cycle.


From that vantage point, Fischer perhaps suffered no contextual constraints or commitments but dealt only with the case evidence of a single musical piece at hand. It's a promising solution to approach monsters of Mahler's stature. Fischer's chosen vision is sweet, lively and divorced from any routine. He perfectly renders the most subtle details and emotional micro climates without any sensation of stale humdrum. The conductor obviously adds a good deal of rubato and engages in the occasional rephrasing to impose his own point of view. In this particular instance, he contributes to removing the mystique from Mahler's symphonic framework.


I am quite sure this version won't became the ultimate for most Mahler fanatics. But is it reasonable to concentrate their fury and fanaticism upon a single composer no matter how brilliant? For my part, I am bored with the common preoccupation to recreate the most academically correct Mahlerian truth. The Fourth is surely the most Straussian of all his symphonies.


In the first movement, Fischer hits upon an amazingly convincing mood. He constantly finds the correct tonality and elicits feelings without stilted emphasis. In my opinion, Fischer fits the idiomatic Mahlerian style to perfection. The first three movements seem natural, fresh and spontaneous. Where most conductors tend to overplay, Fischer delivers a personalized but liquid reading. At the same time, Fischer seems more relaxed in his handling of tempi and transitions. In his light leading of the BFO, the dynamics of the Fourth Symphony are revealed in a stunning manner.

The finale plays to the incarnation. What does that mean? Soprano Miah Persson fully embodies the role of youthful lad, capturing childhood's innocence while Fischer accelerates the tempo a bit faster than usual. Perhaps this doesn't fully respect the Mahlerian depth but it still delivers great enjoyment and emotional pleasure. Fischer also strengthens the notion of excess energy inherent in the joys of heavenly life. In fact, Fischer manifests his strong will to participate more organically in recreating the Fourth Symphony. He takes measured risks and I am fond of them. Today we really don't need another Bernstein or Klemperer. Fischer explores his own paths and is largely making sense to invite our undivided attention.