If this new recording of the Symphony No. 4 in G major by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) is any indication, we're in for an impressive new survey of Mahler's complete symphonic output. The Pentatone label has a solid reputation for releasing well-engineered recordings, and this will be their first full Mahler cycle. It also marks conductor Semyon Bychkov's first foray into a complete Mahler symphony cycle, (in 2006 he had released a fine recording of the Symphony No. 3 on the Avie label) and it seems that most of his prior recordings may prove difficult to obtain as they were produced on the Philips label before it was integrated within the Decca Music Group. This will also be the Czech Philharmonic's second only complete survey in over 40 years, following a splendid cycle conducted by Vaclav Neumann on the Supraphon label which was completed in 1982.

The pacing and expressive dynamic touches throughout are exemplary, and make for an animated interpretation. Within the first movement in particular, it's as if the various groups of the orchestra converse with each other, with the woodwinds clearly leading the narrative. There's a well-defined transparency to the overall sound here, with every small chime, triangle and woodblock coming through clearly and naturally. And at the 16:15 mark, just about a minute before the end, I like how everything comes to a full stop, followed by a long pause, and like a child slowly gaining momentum and jumping into a big pile of leaves, everything comes to a glorious end.

If it is true that all music written by Mahler was autobiographical, then we must also consider that it is in childhood that we develop our deepest fears, our idiosyncrasies, our sometimes malevolent behavior, etc... and Mahler's own adulthood angst is never far below the sunny surface of this misunderstood work. In the second movement this child, on a pleasant excursion through the woods, encounters Pan for the first time. A sinister, impish figure playing an out of tune fiddle, which conveys to the child that the pleasures of this earthly life are fleeting, and that death lurks in the shadows. This irony is well balanced by Bychkov and the orchestra.

In the third movement marked "Ruhevoll" (restful, quietly) the child comes upon an open field and tired, lies down on his back and in a dream state, contemplates the heavens. But as in all of Mahler's moments of great beauty, anguish is never far way, and here and there rears its ugly head. But then suddenly, at the 17:45 mark, the clouds disperse and a blaze of glorious light appears. And as if in a state of bliss, the child is taken aloft in this shaft of light and attains nirvana. It must be very difficult for a large orchestra to convey a state of weightlessness, and to project an almost luminescent sound, but this is where the Czech Philharmonic players shine, as they generate a radiant glow.

During the final movement, soprano Chen Reiss' voice may at times seem stretched to its limits due to the unjustly quick tempo, but after the 5:00 minute mark, once the string instruments have applied their mutes, and when the mood shifts, when the tempo relaxes into that wonderful cradle like rocking, and she sings No music on earth can be compared to ours, her voice conveys all the innocence and childish nonchalance pertinent to this wonderful work.

I'm very much looking forward to the continuation of this projected complete survey of Gustav Mahler's symphonic output. After all the booklet notes point out: "It is therefore not entirely surprising perhaps that there should be a rich Gustav Mahler tradition at the Czech Republic's first and oldest orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, its beginnings dating back to September 1908, when the world premiere of his Symphony No. 7 was given by the orchestra under the baton of none other than the composer." And with the care and attention of the Pentatone audio engineers, we should be in for a special cycle.