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

Fresh from the loss of his oldest daughter Maria Mahler, and knowing he had a serious heart condition, Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) crafted Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) in the years 1908 and 1909.  The first performance took place on November 20, 1911 at the Tonhalle in Munich, conducted by Bruno Walter.  It encompasses six settings of old Chinese poems, four of them by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, loosely translated into German by Hans Bethge.  Conscious of his own mortality, Mahler filled his orchestral song cycle with themes of resignation, fading beauty, and autumn loneliness.  The last song, roughly the same length as the previous five movements combined, serves as a sprawling, yet deeply personal farewell to both love and life. Instrumentation: 3(3rd dPicc)+Picc.3(3rd dEH).2+BCl+Eb.3(3rd dCBsn: 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(4-5): 2Hp.Clst.Mand: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Soli T, A (or Bar). Movements: 1. Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde (The Drinking Song of Earth's Sorrow); 2. Der Einsame im Herbst (Autumn Loneliness); 3. Von der Jugend (Youth); 4. Von der Sch?nheit (Beauty); 5. Der Trunkene im Fruhling (Wine in Spring); 6. Der Abschied (The Farewell). Reprint edition.