The Song of the Earth

"But you, man, how long do you live?"

This question comes from the Earth itself in Gustav Mahler's final, monumental Lieder cycle. Based on an anthology of Chinese poets who lived between the 12th and 19th centuries (translated into German by Hans Bethge), Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) for tenor, contralto, and orchestra is a profound meditation on the transience of human life, the vastness of nature, and the concept of rebirth. In 1920, Schönberg began a transcription of the piece for a smaller orchestra, but he was unable to complete it. It wasn’t until 1983 that musicologist Rainer Riehn resumed Schoenberg’s work and produced a finished version. Under the expert direction of the musicians of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the result is nothing short of extraordinary, bringing out the intense depth of the score in a way that feels both intimate and personal.

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