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’s 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‘Der Einsame im Herbst’ (The Lonely One in Autumn) for mezzo soprano, the sprightly ‘Von der Jugend’ (Of Youth) for tenor, ‘Von der Schönheit’ (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 ‘Der Trunkene im Frühling’ (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.
Last on
Music Played
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Michael Praetorius
Terpsichore, Musarum Aoniarum: Volte, TMA 210
Ensemble: Capella de la Torre.- Praetorius Dances.
- Deutsche Harmonia Mundi.
- 20.
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Anon
Pavan: Belle qui tiens ma vie
Ensemble: Capella de la Torre. Conductor: Katharina Bäuml.- 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.
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Mihran Toumajan
I Sing To You (Lullaby from Dikranagerd)
Performer: Ellie Choate. Performer: Ruben Harutyunyan. Singer: Isabel Bayrakdarian.- Armenian Songs For Children.
- AVIE.
- 23.
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Maurice Duruflé
Fugue sur le thème du Carillon des Heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons Op. 12
Performer: Thomas Trotter.- Durufle: Complete Organ Works.
- Kings College.
- 1.
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Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Fantaisie polonaise sur des themes originaux, Op. 19: IV. Allegro giocoso
Performer: Jonathan Plowright. Conductor: Łukasz Borowicz. Ensemble: 鶹Լ Scottish Symphony Orchestra.- Gablenz: Piano Concerto; Paderewski: Polish Fantasy.
- Hyperion.
- 7.
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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.
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Gilles Binchois
Arae post libamina & Adieu mon amoureuse joye
Composer: Matheus de Sancto Johanne. Ensemble: Gothic Voices.- Echoes of an Old Hall.
- Linn.
- 1.
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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.
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André Messager
Passionnement: VII. Valse. Puisqu'elle ne peut elle-meme
Singer: Nicole Car. Singer: Étienne Dupuis. Ensemble: Munich Radio Orchestra. Conductor: Stefan Blunier.- André Messager: Passionnément.
- Bru Zane.
- 15.
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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.
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Frédéric Chopin
Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58: IV. Finale
Performer: Martha Argerich.- Martha Argerich: Chopin.
- DG.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Allegretto quasi andante, Bagatelle in D major, Op.33 No.6
Performer: Jonas Vitaud.- Beethoven 1802, Heiligenstadt.
- Mirare.
- 7.
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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.
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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.
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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 Bäuml (director)
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi -- G010004504521C
Weber
Martin Helmchen (piano)
Anna Prohaska (soprano)
Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Christoph Eschenbach (conductor)
Alpha ALPHA744
Armenian Songs for Children – music by Vartabed, Toumajan, Ganatchian & Trad.
Isabel Bayrakdarian (soprano)
Ellie Choate (harp)
Ray Furuta (flute)
Ruben Harutyunyan (duduk)
Avie AV2449
Durufle: Complete Organ Works
Thomas Trotter (organ)
Kings College KGS0053
Gablenz: Piano Concerto; Paderewski: Polish Fantasy
Jonathan Plowright (piano)
鶹Լ Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Łukasz Borowicz (concductor)
Hyperion CDA68323
9.30am – Building a Library – Dr Flora Willson on Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde
Recommended
Recording:
Marc Albrecht (conductor)
Alice Coote (mezzo-soprano)
Burkhard Fritz (tenor)
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Pentatone PTC5186502 (Hybrid SACD)
http://www.pentatonemusic.com/mahler-das-lied-von-der-erde
Other recommendation:
Otto Klemperer (conductor)
Christa Ludwig (mezzo-soprano)
Fritz
Wunderlich (tenor)
Philharmonia Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra
EMI 2483982
10.15am – 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 4837537
Echoes of an Old Hall – music by Binchois, Dufay, Dunstaple, Maysheut, etc
Gothic Voices
Linn CKD644
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5; Symphony No. 29
Sebastian Bohren (violin)
CHAARTS Chamber Artists
Gabor Takacs-Nagy (conductor)
Avie AV2459
André Messager: Passionnément
Véronique Gens (Ketty Stevenson/soprano)
Nicole Car (Julia/soprano)
Chantal Santon Jeffery (Helene Le Barrois/soprano)
Eric Huchet (William Stevenson/tenor)
Étienne Dupuis (Robert Perceval/baritone)
Armando Noguera (Harris/baritone)
Munchner Rundfunkorchester
Stefan Blunier (conductor)
Bru Zane BZ1044
10.40am – Lucy Parham’s Piano Music
Beethoven: The Last Three Sonatas
Sunwook Kim (piano)
Accentus Music ACC30527
Martha Argerich: Chopin
Martha Argerich (piano)
DG 4860008 (5CDs + 1 Blu—ray Audio)
Beethoven 1802, Heiligenstadt
Jonas Vitaud (piano)
Mirare MIR562
Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music, Vol. 5
Howard Shelley (piano)
Hyperion CDA68344
When Do We Dance? Music by Bartók, Gershwin, Ginastera, Ravel
Lise de la Salle (piano)
Naïve V5468
11.20am – Record of the Week
Divertissement: Works by Ibert, Bernard, Bartok & Ippolito
C/O Chamber Orchestra
BIS BIS2499 (Hybrid SACD)
Broadcast
- Sat 19 Jun 2021 09:00鶹Լ Radio 3
Composers A to Z
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