Mahler: Symphony No. 4

The last movement, featuring a song set to a poem from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Youth's Magic Horn), presents a child's view of heaven. Camilla Trilling sings it with the wide-eyed innocence demanded by the words and music, avoiding the common fault of so many Mahler Fourths that give us a soprano too mature or too sophisticated. If Zander's doesn't supersede versions by Kletzki, Szell, and Tennstedt, it is certainly one of the best available for both sound and performance. Its attractiveness is greatly enhanced by a 79-minute bonus disc, an illustrated lecture by Zander that's informative and entertaining, sure to enlighten even experienced Mahlerians. --Dan Davis