Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)

Featuring

George Manahan
Jennifer Johnson Cano
Paul Groves
Saint Luke's Chamber Ensemble
Gustav Mahler

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde is a musical farewell from a man who loved life, recalling its pleasures and beauties rather than being dismal or dreary.

Performer Biography

The Orchestra of St. Luke's, whose artistic core is the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, was formed at the Caramoor International Music Festival in 1979.

Compositional Technique

The title "The Song of the Earth" is somewhat misleading; a more accurate title would be "The Song of Life on This Earth," as its six movements explore human experiences with transience.

Compositional Technique

Mahler's score for Das Lied von der Erde includes "chinoiserie" – pentatonic figures that evoke the original Chinese poetry.

Interpretation

This recording features a chamber ensemble arrangement of Das Lied von der Erde by Arnold Schoenberg and Rainer Riehn, originally conceived for the Society for Private Musical Performances.

Composition History

Gustav Mahler began sketching Das Lied von der Erde after learning he had a heart lesion, finding poems in Hans Bethge's "The Chinese Flute" that spoke to his mortality.

Recording & Production

The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, the first permanent home for the Orchestra of St. Luke's, is New York City's first rehearsal and recording facility dedicated to classical music.