Symphony 4 in G
Mahler's Fourth andDas Lied von der Erdewere Reiner's only Mahler recordings with the Chicago Symphony, and both are reminders of his orchestral wizardry and his prowess as a Mahlerian. Tempos are on the swift side for a piece many conductors like to linger over, but the forward flow doesn't obscure telling details. Reiner gives the slow movement a chaste solemnity, and the final heavenly vision is beautifully sung by the creamy voiced Della Casa. This Mahler's Fourth falls closer to Boulez's objectivity than to Bernstein's emotionalism and remains today what it was when recorded--one of the best Mahler Fourths in the catalog. It's also one of the best-sounding, as RCA's Living Stereo engineering holds its own even after 40 years.--Dan Davis