What should one call Gustav Mahler’s Song of the Earth? Is it best to call it a symphony? No, because he didn’t. Is it a song cycle? Yes, but it is much more than that as the orchestra plays a much more significant role than it would in a song cycle. Some scholars call it a “song-cycle symphony.” Song of the Earth is unique amongst the composer’s works. As such, it is getting a unique presentation this week at Walt Disney Concert Hall where Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will embark on four performances beginning on Thursday.
Anytime Dudamel tackles Mahler it is a concert worth attending. Adding extra value to these particular performances is the presence of director Yuval Sharon who has called upon Chilean theatre company Teatrocinema to help with some, no doubt, stunning video effects. Teatrocinema’s contributions are only for the first three performances. The Sunday performance will be music only.
Yuval Sharon is the Artistic Director of The Industry – the innovative Los Angeles-based opera company that gave us Invisible Cities and Hopscotch. Sharon is in the midst of his three-year “Artist-in-Residency” work with the LA Phil. Earlier this season his innovative production of War of the Worlds took place both inside and apart from the Walt Disney Concert Hall. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship grant in 2017.
As for Song of the Earth, Mahler set to music six Chinese poems with German translations. This was part of his final works as a composer and address the reality of death. In these performances with the LA Philharmonic, Russell Thomas is the the tenor and Tamara Mumford is the mezzo-soprano.
To get a sense of the tone of the piece, here is an excerpt from the final song:
Where do I go? I go, I wander in the mountains.
I seek peace for my lonely heart.
I wander homeward, to my abode!
I’ll never wander far.
Still is my heart, awaiting its hour.
The dear earth everywhere blossoms in spring and grows green
anew! Everywhere and forever blue is the horizon!
Forever … Forever …
For more detailed information, here is a video of Leonard Bernstein (a huge supporter of Mahler’s work) discussing (over the course of 42 minutes) his take on Song of the Earth.