In this 4th Symphony with lean dimensions, leisurely tempos in all four movements, an orchestra whetted down to Brahmsian size, a clear formal progression and an apparently naive final song evoking the “Heavenly Life”, it is as if Mahler was taking a breather after two massive and unwieldy symphonies in order to lean back comfortably and distance himself from those nightmarish visions of the afterlife. In no previous symphony had he been so close to the Knaben Wunderhorn folk poetry he so much admired. But here, as elsewhere, there are cracks in the idyllic façade. Although more subtly introduced, they are just as prominent – particularly in the Scherzo, where the solo violin adopts the mask of Freund Hein, the skeleton, striking up a danse macabre with bizarre, distorted harmonies. This, in turn, bathes the rustic, down-to-earth trio section in shimmering, chiaroscuro half-tones. On the other hand, the slow movement’s ethereal cantilenas are not far removed from those of Mahler’s 3rd and 9th Symphonies.……..

Although the orchestral forces prescribed by Mahler in the 4th Symphony were already quite manageable in terms of size, we have Arnold Schoenberg to thank for Erwin Stein’s 1921 arrangement of the same work: Stein’s chamber music reduction saw the light of day in the “Society for Private Musical Performances”, a concert series organized by Schoenberg. Apart from the usual scoring for such settings (two violins, viola, double bass, cello, flute, oboe, clarinet and piano), Stein also foresaw the use of several percussion instruments, and included a further one that was quite fashionable in the early 20th century: the concert reed organ (harmonium). (from the liner notes)

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Live Recording from Festival Spannungen (10 June 2014); (arr. for Chamber Ensemble by Erwin Stein)