Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Featuring

Michael Halász
Thomas Harper
Ruxandra Donose
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Gustav Mahler

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Performer Biography

Ruxandra Donose, the Romanian mezzo-soprano, began her musical studies on piano, winning an award at the 1982 Vercelli Competition in Italy, before pursuing a singing career.

Composition History

Das Lied von der Erde sets six poems from Hans Bethge's collection Die chinesische Flöte, which were German versions of French translations from Chinese, and in one case, a fabricated pseudo-Chinese poem.

Composer Biography

Gustav Mahler, the composer, saw himself as "three times homeless": a native of Bohemia in Austria, an Austrian among Germans, and a Jew throughout the whole world.

Composition History

Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, along with a ninth and tenth symphony, were regarded by him as his farewell to the world, influenced by a heart diagnosis and the superstition surrounding a composer's ninth symphony.

Notable Performances

Das Lied von der Erde was sketched by Mahler in 1908 and scored in 1909, but its first performance, directed by Bruno Walter, occurred only after Mahler's death in 1911.

Performer Biography

The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, originally the RTE Symphony Orchestra founded in 1947, was augmented and renamed in 1990, establishing itself as one of Europe's most adventurous orchestras.

Composer Biography

Mahler made his career primarily as a conductor, holding prestigious positions including Kapellmeister of the Vienna Court Opera, a role he secured after his baptism as a Catholic.