The Gustav Mahler revival in the USA began in the 1960s, though Leopold Stokowski had conducted American premieres of his works in 1916.
Historical Context
Leonard Bernstein helped introduce Mahler's music to a wider audience in the early 1960s by programming his symphonies and dedicating a popular televised Young People's Concert to him.
Composition History
Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) were composed in 1884-1885 and directly stemmed from an unhappy love affair with the singer Johanna Richter.
Recording & Production
The recordings on this album use chamber orchestra arrangements by Arnold Schönberg, likely prepared for his Society for Private Musical Performances (1918-1921).
Performer Biography
Barbara Hendricks, the soprano on this album, received a scholarship to study voice with Jennie Tourel, a great mezzo-soprano, at the Aspen Music School and Festival.
Performer Biography
Barbara Hendricks made her Salzburg Festival debut in 1976, singing the soprano solo in Mahler's Second Symphony.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gustav Mahler considered the lied genre, along with the symphony, to be one of the two key facets of his musical output, and he sought to fuse them.
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