The Song of the Earth by Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler is considered by many to be the premier composer in the history of symphonic music. He followed Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, and was a contemporary of both Brahms and Strauss. That list of composers surpasses all others in terms of their historical contributions to symphonic music. However, Mahler, whose music reached a level of profundity that has seldom been reached, was able to reach new symphonic heights.

The Song of the Earth is one of the last works that Mahler wrote. In fact, he never heard it performed; it premiered six months after his death. It is really his ninth symphony, but Mahler, being superstitious about dying after the completion of his ninth symphony, simply called it a “Song Symphony.” Arnold Schoenberg, another giant among classical composers, was a friend of Mahler’s and after World War I produced a reduced version of this work. This is the version that will be performed at this festival. The Song of the Earth has never been performed in Mississippi.

Host or Publisher Natchez Festival of Music