he Lied

Gustav Mahler's masterpiece Das Lied von der Erde (Song of the Earth) has always been subtitled as a Symphony for Tenor and Alto (or Baritone) and traditionally two voices have sung the six movements of the work. However Jonas Kaufmann felt differently about this and decided to sing both parts himself. This is the first time that one voice has sung both parts for a recording of this piece.

From the onset, the music in Das Lied von der Erde is permeated by a special mood. Even the texts, based on Far Eastern poetry, are more mood than content. Mahler repeatedly abandons the words’ meaning, but the mood remains. The music implies so much more than the words! For instance, the third poem evokes the reflection of a mirror image in water, but I don’t see those images anywhere in the music. Mahler is not concerned with helping us understand every syllable. If the voice, in its anguish, is drowned out by the orchestra, that is what the music is trying to achieve. Throughout a great number of passages, “beautiful tone” is not what is important. To the contrary. In Das Lied von der Erde, the singers are likewise required to declaim, cry, and shriek. I think that even those concertgoers who have no command of the German language have no problem in gaining a quite precise grasp of what is going on…

From the onset, the music in Das Lied von der Erde is permeated by a special mood. Even the texts, based on Far Eastern poetry, are more mood than content. Mahler repeatedly abandons the words’ meaning, but the mood remains. The music implies so much more than the words! For instance, the third poem evokes the reflection of a mirror image in water, but I don’t see those images anywhere in the music. Mahler is not concerned with helping us understand every syllable. If the voice, in its anguish, is drowned out by the orchestra, that is what the music is trying to achieve.

Moving music from 19th century France with Sandra Lied Haga and Katya Apekisheva.

“Bruno Maderna, like his close friend and fellow avant‐garde composer Pierre Boulez, had in recent years become a conductor of international reputation.

"When liars are being accused of something, they'll stay calm because they're working on their rebuttal. Never Be Lied to Again is bursting with tested tips like this for quickly determining when you're being boondoggled."

Excerpts from this book have been posted at AvaxHome previously but this is the FULL version.

This recording was made under the direction of Reinbert de Leeuw in December 2019, two months before his death.