Symphony No. 4

Gustav Mahler's first four symphonies are often referred to as the ‘Wunderhorn Symphonies’ because many of their themes originate in earlier songs by Mahler on texts from ‘Des Knaben Wunderhorn’. His Symphony No. 4 in G major, written in 1899 and 1900, is as well built around one of these songs: ‘Das himmlische Leben’ (‘The Heavenly Life’). This song is prefigured in various ways in the first three movements and sung in its entirety by a solo soprano in the fourth movement. ‘Das himmlische Leben’ is originally written in 1892. A child, voiced by a soprano, presents a sunny, naive vision of Heaven and describes the feast being prepared for all the saints. Slovenian arranger Gregor Kovacic transcribed this last movement of the fourth Symphony, ‘Das himmlische Leben’, for Soprano and Symphonic Band.