Schumann: Symphony Nos 3 & 4 (re-orchestrated by Mahler)

Robert Schumann’s Fourth Symphony was initially conceived not long after the success of the First, but the dramatic original single-movement version confused audiences, and substantial revisions resulted in the eloquent masterpiece we hear today. This and the Third Symphony owe a great deal to Beethoven, with the ‘Rhenish’ sharing much of the joy and effervescence of the ‘Pastoral’ Symphony. Gustav Mahler’s subtle re-orchestrations were made in the light of instrumental innovations and the increase in size of the symphony orchestra towards the beginning of the 20th century, making them ideal for performance today. This release completes Naxos' edition of Schumann’s symphonies re-orchestrated by Mahler, with volume 1 appearing in October 2022 (8.574429). Mahler’s gentle revisions provide models of tasteful modification that are suited to the larger orchestras of today, but there are surprisingly few recordings of these Mahler re-orchestrations available.