Mahler Symphony No 4 Synfrancisco Symphony Michael Tilson Thomas 2003 Lossless New Direct

Barantschik’s solo is the star. He plays the "Freund Hein" (Death) fiddle with a rough, deliberately non-legato attack. MTT encourages the orchestra to play the accompanying waltz as if drunk. The lossless detail here is crucial: you can hear the scraping of the horsehair on gut strings—a sound most recordings bury under reverb.

Verdict: Highly recommended. This is not the grittiest or most neurotic Mahler, but it is one of the most beautifully balanced, lyrical, and well-played recordings of Symphony No. 4. In lossless format, the audiophile qualities truly shine. It’s a perfect entry point for newcomers and a refreshing, sunshine-lit take for veterans. Barantschik’s solo is the star

This is the recording’s heart. MTT builds the movement as a series of variations that ascend toward heaven. The cello section is legendary; they play the opening theme with a singing, unforced tenderness. When the harps enter, the lossless transfer captures the pedal noise—the subtle creak of the mechanism—which adds an organic reality. By the climactic E-flat major chord (rehearsal 8), the San Francisco brass blazes but never distorts. This is the mark of both great engineering and great orchestral balance. The lossless detail here is crucial: you can

Any discussion of Mahler 4 hinges on the finale. In the “lossless new” high-res transfer, Claycomb’s voice is a revelation. Listen carefully at 1:15 of the final movement (Kein Musik ist ja nicht auf Erden – No music is like that on Earth). On standard streaming

On standard streaming, the voice blends into the orchestral tutti. On the 2003 lossless track, you hear the subtle intake of breath, the shaping of the German vowels (Freuden, Englein), and the way MTT holds the orchestra back just 5 dB to let her float above. This is not a singer fighting a wall of brass; it is a heavenly duet between soprano and celesta.