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Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde

Flora Willson chooses her favourite recording of Mahler's orchestral song cycle Das Lied von der Erde, plus Andrew McGregor reviews new releases of piano music with Lucy Parham.

9.30 Building a Library
Flora Willson chooses her favourite recording of Mahler's orchestral song cycle Das Lied von der Erde.

Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, 'Song of the Earth', is a set of six songs for two voices and orchestra, but is it a song-cycle or a symphony? Mahler certainly intended for Das Lied von der Erde to reflect the world in co taining everything, the whole range of human emotions and earthly experience, but the work doesn't easily fall into either the category of song-cycles or truly symphonic works. Mahler drew his texts for Das Lied from a compendium called The Chinese Flute, a translation of Chinese poems by the German poet Hans Bethge.

Mahler wrote Das Lied von der Erde in 1908-9 within a year of losing his beloved daughter Maria and receiving the diagnosis of the heart condition that would kill him in 1911. The work begins and ends with two of Mahler's most famous songs: Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde (The Drinking Song of Earth鈥檚 Sorrows) and Der Abscheid (The Farewell), a hauntingly beautiful, bleak and heartrending farewell to life as the 'sun sets behind the mountains.' The intervening songs are the introspective鈥楧er Einsame im Herbst鈥 (The Lonely One in Autumn) for mezzo soprano, the sprightly 鈥榁on der Jugend鈥 (Of Youth) for tenor, 鈥榁on der Sch枚nheit鈥 (Of Beauty) depicting an innocent scene by a river bank where girls are picking flowers but are then briefly threatened by the arrival of boys on horseback, and 鈥楧er Trunkene im Fr眉hling鈥 (The Drunkard in Spring).

10.45
Lucy Parham reviews new and recent recordings of piano music.

11.20
Record of the Week
Andrew recommends an outstanding new release.

2 hours, 47 minutes

Music Played

  • Michael Praetorius

    Terpsichore, Musarum Aoniarum: Volte, TMA 210

    Ensemble: Capella de la Torre.
    • Praetorius Dances.
    • Deutsche Harmonia Mundi.
    • 20.
  • Anon

    Pavan: Belle qui tiens ma vie

    Ensemble: Capella de la Torre. Conductor: Katharina B盲uml.
    • Praetorius Dances.
    • DEUTSCHE HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • 11.
  • Carl Maria von Weber

    Der Gerrscher der Geister Overture (Ruler of the Spirits Overture)

    Ensemble: Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra. Conductor: Christoph Eschenbach.
    • Weber.
    • Alpha.
    • 1.
  • Mihran Toumajan

    I Sing To You (Lullaby from Dikranagerd)

    Performer: Ellie Choate. Performer: Ruben Harutyunyan. Singer: Isabel Bayrakdarian.
    • Armenian Songs For Children.
    • AVIE.
    • 23.
  • Maurice Durufl茅

    Fugue sur le th猫me du Carillon des Heures de la Cath茅drale de Soissons Op. 12

    Performer: Thomas Trotter.
    • Durufle: Complete Organ Works.
    • Kings College.
    • 1.
  • Ignacy Jan Paderewski

    Fantaisie polonaise sur des themes originaux, Op. 19: IV. Allegro giocoso

    Performer: Jonathan Plowright. Conductor: 艁ukasz Borowicz. Ensemble: 大象传媒 Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
    • Gablenz: Piano Concerto; Paderewski: Polish Fantasy.
    • Hyperion.
    • 7.
  • Claude Debussy

    Fantasie for piano and orchestra: I. Andante

    Performer: Martha Argerich. Ensemble: Staatskapelle Berlin. Conductor: Daniel Barenboim.
    • Debussy: Fantaisie, Violin Sonata, Cello Sonata, La Mer.
    • DG.
    • 1.
  • Gilles Binchois

    Arae post libamina & Adieu mon amoureuse joye

    Composer: Matheus de Sancto Johanne. Ensemble: Gothic Voices.
    • Echoes of an Old Hall.
    • Linn.
    • 1.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K216: III. Rondeau: Allegro

    Performer: Sebastian Bohren. Ensemble: CHAARTS Chamber Artists.
    • Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5; Symphony No. 29.
    • Avie.
    • 3.
  • Andr茅 Messager

    Passionnement: VII. Valse. Puisqu'elle ne peut elle-meme

    Singer: Nicole Car. Singer: 脡tienne Dupuis. Ensemble: Munich Radio Orchestra. Conductor: Stefan Blunier.
    • Andr茅 Messager: Passionn茅ment.
    • Bru Zane.
    • 15.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110: I. Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo

    Performer: Sunwook Kim.
    • Beethoven: The Last Three Sonatas.
    • Accentus Music.
  • Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58: IV. Finale

    Performer: Martha Argerich.
    • Martha Argerich: Chopin.
    • DG.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Allegretto quasi andante, Bagatelle in D major, Op.33 No.6

    Performer: Jonas Vitaud.
    • Beethoven 1802, Heiligenstadt.
    • Mirare.
    • 7.
  • Felix Mendelssohn

    Lieder ohne Worte (No. 1 in Eb major & No. 2 in F# minor)

    Performer: Howard Shelley.
    • Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music, Vol. 5.
    • Hyperion.
  • George Gershwin

    Gershwin - When Do We Dance & Ginastera - Danza del gaucho matrero

    Composer: Alberto Ginastera. Performer: Lise de la Salle.
    • When Do We Dance.
    • NAIVE.
  • Jacques Ibert

    Divertissement

    Orchestra: c/o chamber orchestra.
    • Divertissement!.
    • BIS.
    • 1.

Record Review

DISCS PLAYED & REVIEWED ON RECORD REVIEW:

Saturday 19th June 2021

9.00am

Praetorius Dances

Capella de la Torre

Katharina B盲uml (director)听

Deutsche Harmonia Mundi听 -- G010004504521C

Weber

Martin Helmchen (piano)

Anna Prohaska (soprano)

Konzerthausorchester Berlin

Christoph Eschenbach (conductor)听

Alpha听 ALPHA744

Armenian Songs for Children 鈥 music by Vartabed, Toumajan, Ganatchian & Trad.

Isabel Bayrakdarian (soprano)

Ellie Choate (harp)

Ray Furuta (flute)

Ruben Harutyunyan (duduk)

Avie听 AV2449听

Durufle: Complete Organ Works

Thomas Trotter (organ)

Kings College KGS0053

Gablenz: Piano Concerto; Paderewski: Polish Fantasy

Jonathan Plowright (piano)

大象传媒 Scottish Symphony Orchestra

艁ukasz Borowicz (concductor)听

Hyperion听 CDA68323

9.30am 鈥 Building a Library 鈥 Dr Flora Willson on Mahler鈥檚 Das Lied von der Erde

听听听听听听听听听听听

Recommended Recording: 听

Marc Albrecht听 (conductor)听

Alice Coote (mezzo-soprano)

Burkhard Fritz (tenor)听 听

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

Pentatone PTC5186502 (Hybrid SACD)听听

http://www.pentatonemusic.com/mahler-das-lied-von-der-erde听 听听

Other recommendation:听

Otto Klemperer (conductor)听

Christa Ludwig (mezzo-soprano)

Fritz Wunderlich (tenor)听
Philharmonia Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra
EMI听 2483982听

10.15am 鈥 New Releases

Debussy: Fantaisie, Violin Sonata, Cello Sonata, La Mer

Martha Argerich (piano)

Daniel Barenboim (piano/conductor)

Michael Barenboim (violin)

Kian Soltani (cello)

Staatskapelle Berlin

DG听 4837537

Echoes of an Old Hall 鈥 music by Binchois, Dufay, Dunstaple, Maysheut, etc听

Gothic Voices听

Linn听 CKD644听

Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5; Symphony No. 29

Sebastian Bohren (violin)

CHAARTS Chamber Artists听

Gabor Takacs-Nagy (conductor)

Avie听 AV2459

Andr茅 Messager: Passionn茅ment

V茅ronique Gens (Ketty Stevenson/soprano)

Nicole Car (Julia/soprano)

Chantal Santon Jeffery (Helene Le Barrois/soprano)

Eric Huchet (William Stevenson/tenor)

脡tienne Dupuis (Robert Perceval/baritone)

Armando Noguera (Harris/baritone)

Munchner Rundfunkorchester

Stefan Blunier听 (conductor)听

Bru Zane听 BZ1044听

10.40am 鈥 Lucy Parham鈥檚 Piano Music

Beethoven: The Last Three Sonatas

Sunwook Kim (piano)听听

Accentus Music听 ACC30527

Martha Argerich: Chopin听

Martha Argerich (piano)

DG听 4860008听 (5CDs + 1 Blu鈥攔ay Audio)听

Beethoven 1802, Heiligenstadt

Jonas Vitaud (piano)

Mirare听 MIR562

Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music, Vol. 5
Howard Shelley (piano)听

Hyperion听 CDA68344

When Do We Dance?听 Music by Bart贸k, Gershwin, Ginastera, Ravel

Lise de la Salle (piano)

Na茂ve听 V5468

11.20am 鈥 Record of the Week

Divertissement: Works by Ibert, Bernard, Bartok & Ippolito

C/O Chamber Orchestra

BIS听 BIS2499听 (Hybrid SACD)听


Broadcast

  • Sat 19 Jun 2021 09:00

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