#98 The Smell of Deceit

The soprano part in this symphony is normally sung by a woman. However, it tries to cover the deceit, the falsehood of the finale: These are heavenly lies, only children can believe them. If you listen to the symphony from the beginning, if you succumb to it, you realize the irony here.

This text from Des Knaben Wunderhorn should be sung by ein Knabe, a boy. It hits the chord of
naïveté: it's a childish ditty, nothing more. The adults are smiling knowingly and whispering to each other: lovely, lovely.

Composer: Gustav Mahler
Work: Symphony No 4, IV. Sehr behaglich
Recording: Helmut Wittek, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein