The Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfaring
Lad) and Das lied von der Erde (The song of the Earth)
are respectively Mahler’s first and last orchestral song
cycles. The nearly twenty-five years that separate them can
be seen in the scope and in work’s vastly increased length
- over three times the Wayfarer cycle. The Wayfarer songs open
in the fresh morning of Mahler’s career; he re-used some
of this thematic material in the First Symphony. The Song of
the Earth, one of his last major works and his last vocal setting,
celebrates and seems to bid farewell to human existence. In
this work the orchestral interludes are elaborated to the point
where the orchestra becomes an equal participant with the vocal
soloists. Song of the Earth is scored for a large orchestra,
including several percussion instruments.
After the Great War, orchestras capable of playing these works
were hard to assemble. This prompted Arnold Schoenberg to make
arrangements of them for chamber orchestra. The arrangement
of the Wayfarer cycle was completed in 1920, but that for The
Song of the Earth remained incomplete until 1983, when the conductor
Rainer Riehn finished the re-orchestration from Schoenberg’s
sketches. The arrangements preserve the clarity of Mahler’s
orchestration, but obviously lose some of the weight of a full
symphony orchestra. According to Kenneth Woods, the current
recording is the first to present these two arrangements on
one disc.
The wind solos at the first of the Wayfarer songs are quite
forward in the balance, and the rhythm is precise; these are
to be hallmarks of this recording. David Stout’s characterisation
of the vocal line is alternately stoic and sensitive; his breath
control copes well with the slow tempo. The second song introduces
a feeling of greater animation, with delicate wind playing doubling
the vocal line. There is a sense of intimacy here similar to
a lieder recital. The smaller orchestral sound registers in
the turbulent opening of the third song; this gives way to a
calmer mood. The last song begins with a characteristic funeral
march. The pulse, faint at the start, gradually firms as the
hero prepares himself for his solitary journey, in a resigned
but resolute mood. This is a really distinguished Wayfarer cycle;
the performance is beautifully played and sung, and has an unerring
focus on and sensitivity to the text.
The comparison is with the performance from 1988 with Thomas
Allen and the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey
Tate. The timings are close to the present recording; the greatest
discrepancy is with the second song “Ging heut’
morgen über’s Feld”, which Allen et al
take at 4:33 versus 4:01 for Stout. Thomas Allen is not as fresh-voiced
as David Stout; together with the more distant recording, this
diminishes the youthful feel of the work. The clarity of the
Schoenberg arrangement further enhances the attractiveness of
the Woods performance.
1907 was a year of crisis for Mahler, marked by his resignation
from the post of Director of the Vienna State Opera, the death
of his elder daughter, and the diagnosis of his incurable heart
condition. It was at this time that he acquired a collection
of poems translated from the Chinese by Hans Bethge, of which
he set five in the Song of the Earth. Despite the size of the
orchestra this is one of the most delicately-scored of Mahler’s
works, with a frequently oriental flavour. The origin of the
texts seems to be reflected in its mood, which from time to
time is rather detached. This paradoxically does not detract
from its vast emotional range, which encompasses disgust at
human life, animal high spirits, pleasure at the beauty of youth
and nature, and an anguished and finally tranquil leave-taking.
It is difficult to think of many works that combine, as this
one does, the intimacy of lieder with an extended orchestral
setting. It can be performed by tenor and either contralto or
baritone; the former combination is what the present recording
uses.
The tumultuous opening song again registers the smaller orchestral
forces, but with a gain in transparency; the voice is framed
by the orchestra rather than having to struggle through it.
Brennen Guillory sings intelligently; his Heldentenor reserves
are tested by the cruelly high writing. The wind and violin
solos are prominent and characterful. The second song paints
a picture of depression; the winding oboe and flute solos over
the winding string lines are superbly played. Emma Curtis avoids
self-pity in her performance, achieving instead a weary resignation,
which breaks into a passionate declamation at “Ja, glib
mir Ruh”. She has a fresh voice, which reminds me a little
of Elizabeth Schwarzkopf’s silvery sound; however, her
diction is not always totally clear. The middle songs all feature
beautiful wind solos, well characterised contrasts between and
within the songs, and lively rhythms. The oriental-sounding
writing for the winds in the fourth song is particularly delightful.
The fifth song returns to the roistering mood of the first,
but with a more Bacchanalian feel. The horn solos, strings and
triangle create a delicate and warm colouration.
The final song setting, Der abschied, far exceeds the preceding
ones in length, being nearly half an hour in duration. Mahler
intersperses the text with extended orchestral interludes, scored
with both vividness and restraint. The performance by Emma Curtis
and the orchestra is one of the utmost sensitivity. The wind
and string solos are all prominent, and beautifully played,
as before, and Woods’ control of the ebbs and flows of
the pulse is unerring. For all this I didn’t find this
movement quite as involving as the previous ones. The smaller
sound from the strings registered more here, particularly in
the funeral march episode, which lacked a sense of inevitability.
Emma Curtis’s return at “Die Liebe Erde”,
however, ushered in a finale that was magical in its tenderness.
The competition for this work is fierce; just about every Mahler
cycle has included a Song of the Earth, and there are numerous
stand-alone recordings for both vocal combinations. On this
occasion the comparison was with a recording dating from 1982
and 1984 with Klaus König and Agnes Baltsa as the tenor
and contralto, and Klaus Tennstedt conducting the London Philharmonic.
I remember reading that Tennstedt was dissatisfied, which is
why it was not included in his EMI Mahler cycle. However I have
always felt it one of the most effective performances. The vocal
soloists are committed and eloquent and the orchestra plays
wonderfully; the whole seems to lift a notch for Der abschied,
which is very moving. This doesn’t feel like a slow performance,
but Tennstedt’s tempos are generally a little broader
than Woods’, most of all in Der abschied, where he takes
31:27 as against 28:53.
My allegiance will always be to Mahler’s original version;
the use of the full orchestra gives the conductor a broader
brush and wider range of colours with which to work. However,
it isn’t a matter of one being superior to the other;
the chamber orchestrations reveal new dimensions to these great
works. Woods and his performers certainly mount a convincing
case for Schoenberg’s arrangements, which are something
that every lover of Mahler should hear.
Guy Aron
David Stout (baritone: Gesellen) Emma Curtis (alto) Brennen Guillory
(tenor)
