Mahler's Song of the Earth - SEASON 2020-2021 - May 27, 2021 - Philadelphia Orchestra
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SEASON 2020-2021
Mahler’s Song
of the Earth
Jessica Griffin
May 27, 2021
SEASON 2020-2021
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Thursday, May 27, at 8:00
On the Digital Stage
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Michelle DeYoung Mezzo-soprano
Russell Thomas Tenor
Mahler/arr. Schoenberg and Riehn Das Lied von der Erde
I. Das Trinklied von Jammer der Erde
II. Der Einsame im Herbst
III. Von der Jugend
IV. Von der Schönheit
V. Der Trunkene im Frühling
VI. Der Abschied
First Philadelphia Orchestra performance of this version
This program runs approximately 1 hour and will be performed without an
intermission.
This concert is part of the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ Experience,
supported through a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation.
Philadelphia Orchestra concerts are broadcast on WRTI 90.1 FM on
Sunday afternoons at 1 PM, and are repeated on Monday evenings at
7 PM on WRTI HD 2. Visit www.wrti.org to listen live or for more details.
Our World Lead support for the Digital Stage is provided by: Claudia and Richard Balderston Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr. The CHG Charitable Trust Innisfree Foundation Gretchen and M. Roy Jackson Neal W. Krouse John H. McFadden and Lisa D. Kabnick The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Leslie A. Miller and Richard B. Worley Ralph W. Muller and Beth B. Johnston Neubauer Family Foundation William Penn Foundation Peter and Mari Shaw Dr. and Mrs. Joseph B. Townsend Waterman Trust Constance and Sankey Williams Wyncote Foundation
SEASON 2020-2021
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Music Director
Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair
Nathalie Stutzmann
Principal Guest Conductor Designate
Gabriela Lena Frank
Composer-in-Residence
Erina Yashima
Assistant Conductor
Lina Gonzalez-Granados
Conducting Fellow
Frederick R. Haas
Artistic Advisor
Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ Experience
First Violins Amy Oshiro-Morales
David Kim, Concertmaster Yu-Ting Chen
Juliette Kang, First Associate Jeoung-Yin Kim
Concertmaster Christine Lim
Joseph and Marie Field Chair
Marc Rovetti, Assistant Concertmaster
Violas
Barbara Govatos
Choong-Jin Chang, Principal
Robert E. Mortensen Chair
Ruth and A. Morris Williams Chair
Jonathan Beiler
Kirsten Johnson, Associate Principal
Hirono Oka
Kerri Ryan, Assistant Principal
Richard Amoroso
Judy Geist
Robert and Lynne Pollack Chair
Renard Edwards
Yayoi Numazawa
Anna Marie Ahn Petersen
Jason DePue
Piasecki Family Chair
Larry A. Grika Chair
David Nicastro
Jennifer Haas
Burchard Tang
Miyo Curnow
Che-Hung Chen
Elina Kalendarova
Rachel Ku
Daniel Han
Marvin Moon
Julia Li
Meng Wang
William Polk
Mei Ching Huang
Cellos
Hai-Ye Ni, Principal
Second Violins
Priscilla Lee, Associate Principal
Kimberly Fisher, Principal
Peter A. Benoliel Chair Yumi Kendall, Assistant Principal
Paul Roby, Associate Principal Richard Harlow
Sandra and David Marshall Chair Gloria dePasquale
Dara Morales, Assistant Principal Orton P. and Noël S. Jackson Chair
Anne M. Buxton Chair Kathryn Picht Read
Philip Kates Robert Cafaro
Davyd Booth Volunteer Committees Chair
Paul Arnold Ohad Bar-David
Joseph Brodo Chair, given by Peter A. Benoliel John Koen
Dmitri Levin Derek Barnes
Boris Balter Alex Veltman
SEASON 2020-2021
Basses Ernesto Tovar Torres
Harold Robinson, Principal Shelley Showers
Carole and Emilio Gravagno Chair
Joseph Conyers, Acting Associate Trumpets
Principal
Tobey and Mark Dichter Chair David Bilger, Principal
Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest Chair
Nathaniel West, Acting Assistant Principal
Jeffrey Curnow, Associate Principal
David Fay Gary and Ruthanne Schlarbaum Chair
Duane Rosengard Anthony Prisk
Some members of the string sections voluntarily
rotate seating on a periodic basis.
Trombones
Nitzan Haroz, Principal
Flutes Neubauer Family Foundation Chair
Jeffrey Khaner, Principal Matthew Vaughn, Co-Principal
Paul and Barbara Henkels Chair
Blair Bollinger, Bass Trombone
Patrick Williams, Associate Principal Drs. Bong and Mi Wha Lee Chair
Rachelle and Ronald Kaiserman Chair
Olivia Staton
Tuba
Erica Peel, Piccolo
Carol Jantsch, Principal
Lyn and George M. Ross Chair
Oboes
Philippe Tondre, Principal Timpani
Samuel S. Fels Chair
Don S. Liuzzi, Principal
Peter Smith, Associate Principal Dwight V. Dowley Chair
Jonathan Blumenfeld Angela Zator Nelson, Associate Principal
Edwin Tuttle Chair
Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia,
English Horn Percussion
Joanne T. Greenspun Chair Christopher Deviney, Principal
Angela Zator Nelson
Clarinets
Ricardo Morales, Principal Piano and Celesta
Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Chair
Kiyoko Takeuti
Samuel Caviezel, Associate Principal
Sarah and Frank Coulson Chair
Keyboards
Socrates Villegas
Davyd Booth
Paul R. Demers, Bass Clarinet
Peter M. Joseph and Susan Rittenhouse
Joseph Chair Harp
Elizabeth Hainen, Principal
Bassoons
Daniel Matsukawa, Principal Librarians
Richard M. Klein Chair
Nicole Jordan, Principal
Mark Gigliotti, Co-Principal
Steven K. Glanzmann
Angela Anderson Smith
Holly Blake, Contrabassoon
Stage Personnel
James J. Sweeney, Jr., Manager
Horns
Dennis Moore, Jr.
Jennifer Montone, Principal
Gray Charitable Trust Chair
Jeffrey Lang, Associate Principal
Hannah L. and J. Welles Henderson Chair
Christopher Dwyer
Jeffry KirschenSEASON 2020-2021 THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Jessica Griffin
The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the world’s preeminent
orchestras. It strives to share the transformative power of music
with the widest possible audience, and to create joy, connection,
and excitement through music in the Philadelphia region, across the
country, and around the world. Through innovative programming,
robust educational initiatives, and an ongoing commitment to the
communities that it serves, the ensemble is on a path to create an
expansive future for classical music, and to further the place of
the arts in an open and democratic society.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin is now in his ninth season as the eighth
music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra. His connection to
the ensemble’s musicians has been praised by both concertgoers
and critics, and he is embraced by the musicians of the Orchestra,
audiences, and the community.
Your Philadelphia Orchestra takes great pride in its hometown,
performing for the people of Philadelphia year-round, from
Verizon Hall to community centers, the Mann Center to Penn’s
Landing, classrooms to hospitals, and over the airwaves and
online. The Orchestra continues to discover new and inventive
ways to nurture its relationship with loyal patrons.SEASON 2020-2021 THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA In March 2020, in response to the cancellation of concerts due the COVID-19 pandemic, the Orchestra launched the Virtual Philadelphia Orchestra, a portal hosting video and audio of performances, free, on its website and social media platforms. In September 2020 the Orchestra announced Our World NOW, its reimagined season of concerts filmed without audiences and presented on its Digital Stage. Our World NOW also includes free offerings: HearTOGETHER, a podcast series on racial and social justice; educational activities; and Our City, Your Orchestra, small ensemble performances from locations throughout the Philadelphia region. The Philadelphia Orchestra continues the tradition of educational and community engagement for listeners of all ages. It launched its HEAR initiative in 2016 to become a major force for good in every community that it serves. HEAR is a portfolio of integrated initiatives that promotes Health, champions music Education, enables broad Access to Orchestra performances, and maximizes impact through Research. The Orchestra’s award-winning education and community initiatives engage over 50,000 students, families, and community members through programs such as PlayINs, side-by-sides, PopUP concerts, Free Neighborhood Concerts, School Concerts, sensory-friendly concerts, the School Partnership Program and School Ensemble Program, and All City Orchestra Fellowships. Through concerts, tours, residencies, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador. It performs annually at Carnegie Hall, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. The Orchestra also has a rich history of touring, having first performed outside Philadelphia in the earliest days of its founding. It was the first American orchestra to perform in the People’s Republic of China in 1973, launching a now-five-decade commitment of people-to-people exchange. The Orchestra also makes live recordings available on popular digital music services and as part of the Orchestra on Demand section of its website. Under Yannick’s leadership, the Orchestra returned to recording, with nine celebrated releases on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label. The Orchestra also reaches thousands of radio listeners with weekly broadcasts on WRTI-FM and SiriusXM. For more information, please visit philorch.org.
SEASON 2020-2021 MUSIC DIRECTOR
Jessica Griffin
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead The Philadelphia
Orchestra through at least the 2025–26 season, a significant
long-term commitment. Additionally, he became the third music
director of New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 2018. Yannick, who
holds the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair, is an inspired
leader of The Philadelphia Orchestra. His intensely collaborative
style, deeply rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm
have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. The New York
Times has called him “phenomenal,” adding that “the ensemble,
famous for its glowing strings and homogenous richness, has
never sounded better.”
Yannick has established himself as a musical leader of the highest
caliber and one of the most thrilling talents of his generation.
He has been artistic director and principal conductor of Montreal’s
Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000, and in 2017 he became an
honorary member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He was
music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic from 2008 to
2018 (he is now honorary conductor) and was principal guest
conductor of the London Philharmonic from 2008 to 2014.
He has made wildly successful appearances with the world’sSEASON 2020-2021 MUSIC DIRECTOR
most revered ensembles and at many of the leading opera
houses. Yannick signed an exclusive recording contract
with Deutsche Grammophon in 2018. Under his leadership
The Philadelphia Orchestra returned to recording with nine
releases on that label. His upcoming recordings will include
projects with the Philadelphians, the Metropolitan Opera, the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and the Orchestre Métropolitain,
with which he will also continue to record for ATMA Classique.
A native of Montreal, Yannick studied piano, conducting,
composition, and chamber music at Montreal’s Conservatory
of Music and continued his studies with renowned conductor
Carlo Maria Giulini; he also studied choral conducting with
Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College. Among
Yannick’s honors are an appointment as Companion of the
Order of Canada; an Officer of the Order of Montreal; Musical
America’s 2016 Artist of the Year; and honorary doctorates
from the University of Quebec, the Curtis Institute of Music,
Westminster Choir College of Rider University, McGill University,
the University of Montreal, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Todd RosenbergSEASON 2020-2021 SOLOIST
Kristin Hoebermann
Mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung made her Philadelphia Orchestra
debut in 2012. She has appeared with many of the world’s leading
ensembles, including the New York, Vienna, Los Angeles, and Royal
philharmonics; the Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and
BBC symphonies; the Cleveland, Minnesota, Royal Concertgebouw,
and Metropolitan Opera orchestras; the Met Chamber Ensemble;
London’s Philharmonia; the Orchestre de Paris; and the Staatskapelle
Berlin. She has also appeared at the prestigious festivals of Ravinia,
Tanglewood, Aspen, Cincinnati, Saito Kinen, Edinburgh, Salzburg,
St. Denis, and Lucerne.
Ms. DeYoung has sung at many of the world’s great opera houses,
including the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago,
Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera Philadelphia,
Glimmerglass Opera, La Scala, the Bayreuth Festival, the Berlin
Staatsoper, Hamburg State Opera, the Opéra National de Paris,
the Théâtre du Châtelet, Opéra de Nice, English National Opera,
the Theater Basel, and Tokyo Opera. She was also named the 2015
artist in residence at Wolf Trap Opera. Her many roles include the
title ones in Saint-Saëns’s Samson and Dalila and Britten’s The Rape
of Lucretia; Fricka, Sieglinde, and Waltraute in Wagner’s Ring Cycle;SEASON 2020-2021 SOLOIST Kundry in Wagner’s Parsifal; Venus in Wagner’s Tannhäuser; Brangäne in Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde; Herodias in Strauss’s Salome; Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlo; Amneris in Verdi’s Aida; Marguerite in Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust; Gertrude in Thomas’s Hamlet; and Jocasta in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex. She also created the role of the Shaman in Tan Dun’s The First Emperor at the Metropolitan Opera. Ms. DeYoung’s recording of Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder and Symphony No. 3 with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony was awarded the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Classical Album. She also won 2001 Grammy awards for Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording for Les Troyens with Colin Davis and the London Symphony. Her discography includes recordings of Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 with the BBC Symphony and Leonard Slatkin and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Minnesota Orchestra and Eiji Oue. Her first solo disc was released on the EMI label.
SEASON 2020-2021 SOLOIST
Fay Fox
American tenor Russell Thomas has established his reputation in
key lyric roles such as the title one in Verdi’s Don Carlo, Manrico
in Verdi’s Il trovatore, Don Alvaro in Verdi’s La forza del destino, and
Pollione in Bellini’s Norma. Significant debuts in recent seasons
have included the title role in Verdi’s Otello at the Canadian Opera
Company and the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Manrico at the Bavarian
State Opera; the title role in Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux at San
Francisco Opera; and Radames in Verdi’s Aida at Houston Grand
Opera. Further notable role debuts include the title role in Verdi’s
Stiffelio (Oper Frankfurt), Turiddu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana
(Deutsche Oper Berlin), and the title role in Gounod’s Faust (Michigan
Opera), as well as house debuts at the Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden (Gabriele Adorno in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra), the Lyric
Opera of Chicago (Pollione), and Canadian Opera Company (the
title role in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann). Further highlights
include Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca for LA Opera. An alumnus
of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Program, Mr. Thomas most
recently returned to that house as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème
and Ismaele in Verdi’s Nabucco, the latter of which was broadcast
worldwide via the Met’s Live in HD series.SEASON 2020-2021 SOLOIST Mr. Thomas has enjoyed a long collaboration with renowned director Peter Sellars, notably making his debut at English National Opera as Lazarus in John Adams’s The Gospel According to the Other Mary, a role he created in the world premiere performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, now released on the Deutsche Grammophon label. This collaboration continued at the Salzburg Festival, where he made his debut in the title role in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, returning last season in a new staging of Mozart’s Idomeneo. Mr. Thomas is in great demand on the concert platform and recent performances have included his first Loge in Wagner’s Das Rheingold with the New York Philharmonic and Florestan in Beethoven’s Fidelio with both the Houston Symphony and the Finnish Radio Symphony. In Europe concert performances last season included Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in the Vienna Konzerthaus’s annual New Year series and on tour to Hamburg with the Vienna Philharmonic. Mr. Thomas made his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2009.
SEASON 2020-2021 FRAMING THE PROGRAM During the final three summers of his life, as he approached age 50, Gustav Mahler composed Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth, 1908), his Ninth Symphony (1909), and began an ultimately unfinished Tenth Symphony (1910). These works have long been considered a sort of valedictory trilogy. Death haunted Mahler’s life, beginning with that of many of his siblings and later of his beloved daughter Maria Anna. Mahler composed almost exclusively in two genres—song and symphony—and Das Lied von der Erde represents a great synthesis of the two. He called it a “Symphony for Tenor and Alto (or Baritone) Voice and Orchestra” and it consists of six extraordinary songs on texts paraphrased into German from eighth-century Chinese poems. Mahler was clearly attracted by poems touching on the themes of the brevity of life, drunkenness, youth, loneliness, beauty, spiritual rebirth, and ultimately farewell to the world that will go on living forever. On this concert we hear the magnificent work in a unique way, in an arrangement for chamber orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg and Rainer Riehn that highlights the transparency and intimacy of Mahler’s vision. The Philadelphia Orchestra is the only orchestra in the world with three weekly broadcasts on SiriusXM’s Symphony Hall, Channel 76, on Mondays at 7 PM, Thursdays at 12 AM, and Saturdays at 4 PM.
SEASON 2020-2021 PARALLEL EVENTS
1908
Mahler
Das Lied von der Erde
Music
Bartók
String Quartet No. 1
Literature
Foster
A Room with a View
Art
Monet
The Ducal Palace
History
First Model “T” producedSEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC Das Lied von der Erde (arranged by Arnold Schoenberg and Rainer Riehn) Gustav Mahler Born in Kalischt (Kaliště), Bohemia, July 7, 1860 Died in Vienna, May 18, 1911 Gustav Mahler primarily composed in the summers. His fame as a conductor grew during his 30s, as did his professional responsibilities, which left little time for him to pursue composition except during the “off season.” By 1897, when he became the director of the Vienna Court Opera, arguably the most powerful musical position in Europe, his schedule reached a dizzying complexity. He usually took one or two years to complete a symphony, and by 1906 he was up to his Eighth, the “Symphony of a Thousand,” a cantata- like work in two parts, the first using the Pentecostal Latin hymn “Veni creator spiritus” and the second setting the closing scene of Goethe’s Faust, Part II. Mahler would have to wait until September 1910 for the premiere of that monumental work in what would prove to be the greatest popular success of his career. (The Philadelphia Orchestra gave the United States premiere of the Eighth in 1916.) Dark Days Between the completion of the Eighth Symphony and its triumphant debut in Munich came one of the darkest periods in the composer’s life. He worked on his final three compositions during the summers of 1908–10: Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), the Ninth Symphony, and sketches for an unfinished Tenth Symphony. The connections between and among these works, as well as their ultimate place in the composer’s output, have made it all too tempting to view them as pointing toward death, a “farewell” trilogy, the artistic testament of a dying man. Mahler had, in fact, endured serious personal traumas in 1907, beginning with the resignation of his position at the Court Opera.
SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC (He soon after signed a lucrative contract with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.) Far more devastating was the death in July of his beloved elder daughter, Maria Anna, at the age of four. A few days later a local physician examined Mahler, gave a dire prognosis about a heart condition, and placed severe restrictions on his activities. It is hardly surprising that his mind was not on composition and that he put creative work aside. After his first season in New York, Mahler and his wife, Alma, returned to Europe for the summer, as they also would for the next three. Disturbing memories of the previous year prompted them to give up the lovely home they had built in Maiernigg, on the Wörthersee, and find refuge in Toblach, near the Dolomite Mountains, where Mahler wrote Das Lied von der Erde. The next summer, 1909, he wrote the Ninth Symphony. More troubles came the following year, as Mahler learned that his wife, nearly 20 years younger, was having an affair with the architect Walter Gropius (later her second husband). While composing the Tenth Symphony, Mahler sought out Freud for help. There was to be no next summer. The fatally ill Mahler left New York for Vienna, where he died on May 18, 1911. These crises left their mark on Mahler. His doctors advised that he curtail not only some of his demanding and physically taxing conducting activities, but also the long walks in both city and country that he so treasured. He commented in unusually personal letters that he had to “start a new life.” While writing Das Lied, he remarked: “This time it is not only a change of place but also a change in a whole way of life. You can imagine how hard the latter comes to me. For many years I have been used to constant and vigorous exercise—roaming about in the mountains and woods, and then, like a kind of jaunty bandit, bearing home my drafts.” A Symphony of Songs After writing some early (sometimes now lost) compositions, the mature Mahler composed exclusively in two genres: song and symphony. Not surprisingly, they often merge, and never more so than in the work we hear tonight, what might be considered a symphony of songs. Mahler supposedly had superstitions about composing a ninth symphony, as had concluded the careers of Beethoven and Bruckner. Alma Mahler, a far from reliable source in many instances, reported that her husband initially called Das Lied von der Erde his Ninth Symphony, but that he tried to cheat fate when he later “crossed the number out.” Das Lied, left unnumbered,
SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC was entitled a “Symphony for Tenor and Alto (or Baritone) Voice and Orchestra.” After completing the official Ninth Symphony, he allegedly told her, “Actually, of course, it’s the Tenth, because Das Lied von der Erde was really the Ninth.” When he began the Tenth Symphony, he remarked: “Now the danger is past.” In any case, Das Lied is clearly symphonic, while at the same time it continues the tradition of the orchestral song cycle that Mahler had already cultivated in the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) and Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children). Mahler’s initial engagement with song had centered on folk poetry, most notably the collection Das Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth’s Magic Horn), but around the turn of the century he switched to the elevated “art” poems of Friedrich Rückert. For his final foray into song he moved in yet another direction: a volume of eighth- century Chinese verse “paraphrased” by Hans Bethge (1876–1946) into German from various available translations. Mahler selected seven poems from those collected in Bethge’s The Chinese Flute (1907) and shaped them, heavily editing, cutting, and expanding them into usable texts for six songs. He was clearly attracted by poems touching on the themes of the brevity of life, drunkenness, youth, loneliness, beauty, spiritual rebirth, and ultimately farewell to the world that will go on living forever. In addition to the exoticism of the poems, Mahler infused a quasi-Asian musical flavor through the use of the pentatonic and whole-tone scales, instruments like tam-tam, and occasionally a vocal style reminiscent of Chinese opera. It is unclear exactly how much he knew of authentic Chinese music, although he may have already heard some early cylinder recordings. By this time he had also conducted Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, which likewise includes musical orientalism. Mahler never heard Das Lied von der Erde, or the Ninth Symphony, both of which were premiered posthumously. His protégé Bruno Walter conducted Das Lied in Munich five months after Mahler’s death. Alban Berg, Anton Webern, and other prominent musicians attended this premiere. The critical response was extremely favorable, even from critics who were generally unsympathetic to his music. A Chamber Orchestra Arrangement On the concert tonight we hear an arrangement for chamber orchestra that dates from a decade after Mahler’s death. In late 1918, Arnold Schoenberg founded the Verein für musikalische Privataufführungen (Society for Private Musical Performances), an
SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC innovative concert series that presented meticulously rehearsed performances of “all modern music—from that of Mahler and Strauss to the newest,” as its charter stated. There were various rules: members only (no critics were allowed), the programs were not announced in advance, pieces were often repeated (sometimes on the same concert), applause and booing were prohibited, and so forth. Schoenberg was the president, but most of the organization fell to former students Berg and Webern, working alongside others. The repertory the Society presented was remarkably international. Although most of the music performed at the Society were keyboard, chamber, or vocal works, on occasion orchestral compositions were arranged for reduced ensembles or for piano. These arrangements were usually made at Schoenberg’s suggestion by assistants, although he reduced Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen in 1920 and the following year started the first song of Das Lied von der Erde. Rainer Riehn completed the setting in 1983 and this version has frequently been performed and recorded since then. It brings out the inherent intimacy and chamber-music qualities of Mahler’s original. A Closer Look Mahler had incorporated songs or song melodies into his first four symphonies. In his instrumental middle ones (5–7), song was less obvious, but still made occasional appearances in various guises. In the Eighth Symphony he stretched the symphonic genre toward the direction of Mass and oratorio, while the instrumental Ninth once again keeps its explicit connections to song more hidden. (A poignant reference at the end of the work to the fourth Kindertotenlieder is representative of Mahler’s late subtlety.) Das Lied von der Erde, with its various musical and literary interconnections among the movements, marks Mahler’s ultimate synthesis of song and symphony. The six movements alternate between tenor and alto or baritone. (Mahler designated an alto in the manuscript, although Walter reported that Mahler considered a baritone singing those movements.) The first movement, “Das Trinklied von Jammer der Erde” (The Drinking Song of Earth’s Misery) immediately places great demands on the tenor, who must compete against the orchestra in what is a wild drinking song and at the same time convey the haunting intimacy of the refrain, “Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod” (Life is dark; death is dark). The contrasts of mood evident in this opening movement will be further explored in those that follow.
SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC The second movement, “Der Einsame im Herbst” (The Lonely One in Autumn) shifts the feeling to one of melancholy and loneliness. The lively third movement, “Von der Jugend” (Of Youth), offers a series of strophic verses with a scherzo quality; the shortest section in the work, this is the only one with sustained glimmers of happiness. “Von der Schönheit” (Of Beauty) returns to a more reflective and nostalgic tone as a girl remembers her attraction to horsemen she encountered; in the middle a boisterous march interlude separates the delicate opening and closing sections. The bright fifth movement, “Der Trunkene im Frühling” (The Drunkard in Spring) again has a theme of ecstatic drunkenness. The final movement, “Der Abschied” (Farewell), is nearly as long as all the others combined and in it Mahler enters an almost mystical realm. A movement of symphonic proportions, he shows how far he had come in combining the modest Lied and the monumental symphony, for this movement is neither song nor symphony, but both at once. It transcends formal conventions as it explores the metaphysics of transcendence, ending with the ethereal repetition of the word ewig (forever). —Christopher H. Gibbs Mahler composed Das Lied von der Erde in 1908. On December 15, 1916, Leopold Stokowski, The Philadelphia Orchestra, contralto Tilly Koenen, and tenor Johannes Sembach performed the United States premiere of Das Lied von der Erde. The work was most recently performed by the Orchestra on subscription in April 2006, with Christoph Eschenbach, tenor Paul Groves, and baritone Thomas Hampson. This current performance is the Orchestra’s first in the Schoenberg/Riehn arrangement. The Philadelphia Orchestra recorded the piece in 1966 for CBS with Eugene Ormandy, contralto Lili Chookasian, and tenor Richard Lewis. Das Lied in the Schoenberg/Riehn arrangement is scored for flute (doubling piccolo), oboe (doubling English horn), clarinet (doubling E-flat clarinet and bass clarinet), bassoon, horn, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, tam-tam, tambourine, triangle), piano, celesta (doubling harmonium), and string quintet, in addition to the solo tenor and mezzo-soprano (or baritone) voices. The work runs approximately 60 minutes in performance.
SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC
DAS LIED VON DER ERDE THE SONG OF THE EARTH
I. “Das Trinklied von Jammer der I. “The Drinking Song of Earth’s
Erde” Misery”
(after Li-Tai-Po)
Schon winkt der Wein im gold’nen The wine, in its golden goblet,
Pokale, beckons,
doch trinkt noch nicht, erst sing’ ich but don’t drink yet—first I’ll sing
euch ein Lied! you a song!
Das Lied vom Kummer The song of sorrow
soll auflachend in die Seele euch klingen. will resound laughingly in your souls.
Wenn der Kummer naht, For when sorrow draws near,
liegen wüst die Gärten der Seele, the gardens of the soul are laid waste,
welkt hin und stirbt die Freude, and joy and song wither and
der Gesang. die.
Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod. Life is dark; death is dark.
Herr dieses Hauses! Lord of this house!
Dein Keller birgt die Fülle des goldenen Your cellar holds a richness of golden
Weins! wine!
Hier, diese Laute nenn’ ich mein! Here, this lute I call my own!
Die Laute schlagen und die Gläser To strum the lute and to empty the
leeren, glasses,
das sind die Dinge, die zusammen these things belong
passen. together.
Ein voller Becher Weins zur rechten A full mug of wine at just the right
Zeit moment
ist mehr wert als alle Reiche dieser is worth more than all the riches of
Erde! the earth!
Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod! Life is dark; death is dark!
Das Firmament blaut ewig, und The firmament is eternally blue and
die Erde the earth
wird lange fest steh’n und aufblüh’n im will remain long, and blossom in
Lenz. spring.
Du aber, Mensch, wie lang lebst denn But you, O man, how long will you
du? live?
Nicht hundert Jahre darfst du dich Not even a hundred years shall you
ergötzen, languish
an all dem morschen Tande dieser among the decaying trifles of this
Erde! earth!
Seht dort hinab! Im Mondschein Look down there! In the moonlight
auf den Gräbern on the graves
hockt eine wild-gespenstische Gestalt! crouches a wild, ghostly figure!
Ein Aff’ ist’s! Hört ihr, wie sein Heulen It’s an ape! Listen to how its howl
hinausgellt in den süssen reverberates through the sweet
Duft des Lebens! fragrance of life!
Jetzt nehmt den Wein! Jetzt ist es Zeit, Now take wine! Now is the time,
Genossen! comrades!
Leert eure gold’nen Becher zu Empty your golden cups to the
Grund! last drop!
Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod! Life is dark; death is dark!SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC
II. “Der Einsame im Herbst” II. “The Lonely One in Autumn”
(after Chang-Tsi)
Herbstnebel wallen bläulich überm The blue autumn fog floats over the
See, lake;
vom Reif bezogen stehen alle the grass stands covered with
Gräser; hoar- frost;
man meint, ein Künstler habe Staub one says that an artist has strewn
von Jade jade-dust
über die feinen Blüten ausgestreut. over the delicate blossoms.
Der süsse Duft der Blumen The sweet fragrance of the flowers
ist verflogen; has vanished;
ein kalter Wind beugt ihre Stengel nieder. a cold wind bends down their stems.
Bald werden die verwelkten, gold’nen Soon the wilted, golden
Blätter petals
der Lotusblüten auf dem of the lotus blossoms will fall off
Wasser zieh’n. into the water.
Mein Herz ist müde. Meine kleine Lampe My heart is tired. My little lamp
erlosch mit Knistern, es gemahnt sputters and goes out, reminding
mich an den Schlaf. me of sleep.
Ich komm’ zu dir, traute I’m coming to you, beloved
Ruhestätte! resting place!
Ja, gib mir Ruh, ich hab’ Erquickung Yes, give me rest, I’m in dire need of
not! refreshment!
Ich weine viel in meinen Einsamkeiten. I weep continuously in my loneliness.
Der Herbst in meinem Herzen währt Autumn lingers too long in my
zu lange. heart.
Sonne der Liebe, willst du nie Sunshine of love, shall you never
mehr scheinen, shine again,
um meine bittern Tränen mild gently to dry my bitter
aufzutrocknen? tears?
III. “Von der Jugend” III. “Of Youth”
(after Li-Tai-Po)
Mitten in dem kleinen Teiche In the middle of the little pond
steht ein Pavillon aus grünem stands a pavilion of green
und aus weissem Porzellan. and white porcelain.
Wie der Rücken eines Tigers Like a tiger’s back
wölbt die Brücke sich aus Jade the bridge of jade arches across
zu dem Pavillon hinüber. to the pavilion.
In dem Häuschen In the little house, well-dressed
sitzen Freunde, friends are sitting,
schön gekleidet, trinken, plaudern, drinking and chatting,
manche schreiben Verse nieder. many are writing down verses.SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC
Ihre seidnen Ärmel gleiten Their silken sleeves slide back,
rückwärts, ihre seidnen Mützen their silken caps
hocken lustig tief im Nacken. hang jauntily low on their necks.
Auf des kleinen Teiches stiller Upon the little pond’s quiet
Wasserfläche zeigt sich alles surface, the whole scene is
wunderlich im Spiegelbilde. wonderfully mirrored.
Alles auf dem Kopfe stehend Everything standing on its head
in dem Pavillon aus grünem in the pavilion of green
und aus weissem Porzellan; and white porcelain.
wie ein Halbmond steht die Brücke, The bridge stands like a half-moon,
umgekehrt der Bogen. its arch turned upside down. The
Freunde, well-dressed friends
schön gekleidet, trinken, plaudern. are drinking and chatting.
IV. “Von der Schönheit” IV. “Of Beauty”
(after Li-Tai-Po)
Junge Mädchen pflücken Blumen, Young girls are picking blossoms,
pflücken Lotosblumen an dem plucking lotus blossoms on the
Uferrande. shore.
Zwischen Büschen und Blättern Among the bushes and the leaves
sitzen sie, they sit,
sammeln Blüten in den Schoss collecting blossoms in their laps
und rufen and calling out
sich einander Neckereien zu. teasingly to one another.
Gold’ne Sonne webt um die The golden sun traces about their
Gestalten, figures,
spiegelt sie im blanken Wasser wider. and is reflected in the bright water.
Sonne spiegelt ihre schlanken Glieder, The sun reflects their slender limbs,
ihre süssen Augen wider, their sweet eyes,
und der Zephir hebt mit and the breeze, with tender
Schmeichelkosen caresses, lifts
das Gewebe ihrer Ärmel auf, führt den the fabric of their sleeves, carries
Zauber the magic
ihrer Wohlgerüche durch of their delicious perfume through
die Luft. the air.
O sieh, was tummeln sich für schöne O look! What beautiful boys are
Knaben hastening
dort an dem Uferrand auf mut’gen along the shore on their valiant
Rossen, steeds;
weithin glänzend wie die far in the distance, gleaming like
Sonnenstrahlen; rays of sun;
schon zwischen dem Geäst der there among the branches of the
grünen Weiden green willows,
trabt das jungfrische Volk einher! the cheeky lads are drawing near!
Das Ross des einen wiehert fröhlich auf One lad’s steed brays with joy
und scheut, und saust dahin, and shies and blusters along,
über Blumen, Gräser wanken hin die over blossoms and grass, galloping
Hufe, rashly,SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC
sie zerstampfen jäh im Sturm die stomping and smashing the
hingesunk’nen Blüten, hei! bowed blossoms!
Wie flattern im Taumel seine Mähnen, Look how his mane flows in the wind,
dampfen heiss die Nüstern! how his nostrils flare!
Gold’ne Sonne webt um die The golden sun traces about the
Gestalten, figures,
spiegelt sie im blanken Wasser wider. reflected in the bright water.
Und die schönste von den Jungfrau’n And the fairest of the young maidens
sendet sends the lad
lange Blicke ihm der Sehnsucht nach. lingering, yearning looks.
Ihre stolze Haltung ist nur Vorstellung. Her proud bearing is only pretense.
In dem Funkeln ihrer grossen Augen, In the sparkle of her large eyes,
in dem Dunkel ihres heissen Blicks in the darkness of her hot gaze
schwingt klagend noch die Erregung the excitement within her heart
ihres Herzens nach. swirls plaintively.
V. “Der Trunkene im Frühling” V. “The Drunkard in Spring”
(after Li-Tai-Po)
Wenn nur ein Traum das Leben ist, If life is only a dream,
warum denn Müh’ und Plag’? what good is care and strife?
Ich trinke, bis ich nicht mehr kann, I’ll drink until I can drink no more,
den ganzen lieben Tag! the whole livelong day!
Und wenn ich nicht mehr trinken kann, And when I can drink no more,
weil Kehl’ und Seele voll, with throat and soul full,
so tauml’ ich bis zu meiner Tür I’ll stumble to my doorstep
und schlafe wundervoll! and sleep like a baby.
Was hör’ ich beim Erwachen? What’s that I hear when I awaken?
Horch! Listen!
Ein Vogel singt im Baum. A bird’s singing in that tree.
Ich frag’ ihn, ob schon Frühling sei. I ask him if it’s spring yet.
Mir ist als wie im Traum. It’s all as if in a dream to me.
Der Vogel zwitschert: Ja! The bird twitters: Yes!
Der Lenz ist da, sei kommen über Nacht! Spring is here, it came overnight!
Aus tiefstem Schauen lauscht’ ich Gazing, deep in thought, I watch
auf, attentively
der Vogel singt und lacht! as the bird sings and laughs!
Ich fülle mir den Becher neu I fill my cup anew
und leer’ ihn bis zum Grund and drink it to the last drop,
und singe, bis der Mond erglänzt and sing, until the moon shines
am schwarzen Firmament! in the black firmament!
Und wenn ich nicht mehr singen kann, And when I can sing no more,
so schlaf’ ich wieder ein. I fall asleep again.
Was geht mich denn der Frühling an? What concern of mine is spring?
Lasst mich betrunken sein! Let me stay drunk!SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC
VI. “Der Abschied” VI. “Farewell”
(after Mong-Kao-Jen)
Die Sonne scheidet hinter dem The sun vanishes behind the
Gebirge. mountains.
In alle Täler steigt der Abend nieder In every valley, evening falls
mit seinen Schatten, die voll with its shadows, full of
Kühlung sind. coolness.
O sieh! Wie eine Silberbarke O look! How the moon floats like a
schwebt silver boat
der Mond am blauen Himmelssee herauf. upon the blue lake of heaven.
Ich spüre eines feinen Windes Weh’n I feel the breeze of a fine wind
hinter den dunklen Fichten! behind the dark pine trees!
Der Bach singt voller Wohllaut durch The brook sings resonantly in
das Dunkel. the darkness.
Die Blumen blassen im The flowers grow pale in the
Dämmerschein. twilight glow.
Die Erde atmet voll von Ruh’ und The earth breathes of rest and
Schlaf. sleep.
Alle Sehnsucht will nun träumen, All yearning turns to dreams,
die müden Menschen geh’n heimwärts, weary folk turn homeward,
um im Schlaf vergess’nes Glück to sleep, and to learn anew
und Jugend neu zu lernen! forgotten happiness and youth!
Die Vögel hocken still in ihren The birds perch silently on their
Zweigen. branches.
Die Welt schläft ein! The world falls asleep!
Es wehet kühl im Schatten A cool breeze blows in the shadow
meiner Fichten. of my pines.
Ich stehe hier und harre meines Freundes; I stand here and await my friend;
ich harre sein zum letzten Lebewohl. I tarry for the last farewell.
Ich sehne mich, o Freund, an deiner Seite I yearn, O friend, to be at your side,
die Schönheit dieses Abends zu to enjoy the beauty of this evening
geniessen. together.
Wo bleibst du? Du lässt mich lang Where are you? You leave me alone
allein! too long!
Ich wandle auf und nieder mit meiner I wander back and forth with my
Laute lute
auf Wegen, die von weichem Grase on paths lined with soft
schwellen. grass.
O Schönheit! O ewigen Liebens-, O beauty! O eternal love-drunk,
Lebens-trunk’ne Welt! life-drunk world!
(after Wang Wei)
Er stieg vom Pferd und reichte ihm den He climbed from the horse and
Trunk took the draught
des Abschieds dar. of farewell.
Er fragte ihn, wohin er führe He asked him where he was going
und auch warum es müsste sein. and why it must be so.
Er sprach, seine Stimme war umflort: He spoke, with muffled voice:
Du, mein Freund, You, my friend,
mir war auf dieser Welt das Glück nicht fortune was not kind to me in this
hold! world!SEASON 2020-2021 THE MUSIC
Wohin ich geh’? Ich geh’, ich wandre in Where am I going? I am going to
die Berge. wander in the mountains.
Ich suche Ruhe für mein einsam Herz! I seek rest for my lonely heart!
Ich wandle nach der Heimat, meiner I wander toward home, toward my
Stätte! own house!
Ich werde niemals in die Ferne I will never again roam into distant
schweifen. places.
Still ist mein Herz und harret seiner My heart is still, awaiting its
Stunde! hour!
Die liebe Erde allüberall The dear earth everywhere
blüht auf im Lenz und grünt blooms in spring, and grows green
aufs neu! again!
Allüberall und ewig blauen licht die Everywhere and forever the blue
Fernen, light in the distance,
ewig … ewig! forever … forever!
English translation by Paul J. Horsley
Program note © 2021. All rights reserved. Program note may not be
reprinted without written permission from The Philadelphia Orchestra
Association.SEASON 2020-2021 MUSICAL TERMS GENERAL TERMS Aria: An accompanied solo song (often in ternary form), usually in an opera or oratorio Cantata: A multi-movement vocal piece consisting of arias, recitatives, ensembles, and choruses and based on a continuous narrative text Chord: The simultaneous sounding of three or more tones Lied: Song Oratorio: Large-scale dramatic composition originating in the 16th century with text usually based on religious subjects. Oratorios are performed by choruses and solo voices with an instrumental accompaniment, and are similar to operas but without costumes, scenery, and actions. Pentatonic: Five tones. B) A five-tone pattern common in folk music of many regions; often used in Western music as an example of exoticism. Recitative: Declamatory singing, free in tempo and rhythm. Recitative has also sometimes been used to refer to parts of purely instrumental works that resemble vocal recitatives. Scherzo: Literally “a joke.” Usually the third movement of symphonies and quartets that was introduced by Beethoven to replace the minuet. The scherzo is followed by a gentler section called a trio, after which the scherzo is repeated. Its characteristics are a rapid tempo, vigorous rhythm, and humorous contrasts. Also an instrumental piece of a light, piquant, humorous character. Ternary: A musical form in three sections, ABA, in which the middle section is different than the outer sections Trio: A division set between the first section of a minuet or scherzo and its repetition, and contrasting with it by a more tranquil movement and style
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