The Czech Philharmonic’s Mahler Cycle, part of a new partnership with the Pentatone label, has begun today with the release of Symphony No 4.

Conducted by Semyon Bychkov, Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic, it also features soloist Chen Reiss. Not only is it Pentatone's first Mahler cycle, but it also marks the orchestra's first recordings of the symphonies since Václav Neumann’s cycle more than 40 years ago.

The orchestra cites the place of Mahler's music in its heritage – the composer was born in Bohemia, now part of modern-day Czech Republic, while impressions of the regions's folk music can be heard throughout his music. Meanwhile, the Czech Philharmonic gave the world premiere of Mahler's Seventh Symphony, in 1908 – a work the orchestra will perform at the Edinburgh International Festival on August 21.

'Discovering Mahler’s music is akin to discovering life itself,' says Bychkov. 'Experiencing it, is to be drawn into his world and values. What emerges from his music, his letters and, the testimonies of those who knew him is the duality of this man. Being a creator and interpreter all at once, he invents the sounds which re-create the world of nature and humans … He had less than 51 years to realise the fundamental questions of our existence and even less time to answer them. Yet, it was long enough to express the polyphony of life: its nobility and banality, its reality and otherworldliness, its childlike naivety and inherent tragedy.'

The symphonies are being recorded in the Rudolfinum, the Czech Philharmonic’s Prague home, and the series follows the 2019 culmination of the Czech Philharmonic’s 7-CD Tchaikovsky Project, which featured all six of his symphonies, the three piano concertos, Romeo & Juliet, Serenade for Strings and Francesca da Rimini.

You can listen to Mahler's Symphony No 4 below, via Apple Music.

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