Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

I think [Mahler] would have approved of Jonas Kaufmann’s ground-breaking decision to take the solo part throughout. It’s not much of a stretch for him – a few low notes apart, the lower register... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2017, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 7th Apr 2017
Catalogue No: 88985389832
Label: Sony
Length: 61 minutes

Presto Recording of the Week

7th April 2017
Presto Recordings of the Year

Finalist 2017

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This release includes a digital booklet

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Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Work length1:01:04

Album only

Jonas Kaufmann (tenor)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Jonathan Nott

I. Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde

Track length8:06

$1.30

$1.70

$2.00

II. Der Einsame im Herbst

Track length9:57

$1.30

$1.70

$2.00

III. Von der Jugend

Track length3:08

$1.30

$1.70

$2.00

IV. Von der Schönheit

Track length6:55

$1.30

$1.70

$2.00

V. Der Trunkene im Frühling

Track length4:25

$1.30

$1.70

$2.00

VI. Der Abschied

Track length28:33

Album only

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Recording of the Week, Jonas Kaufmann takes on Das Lied von der Erde - all of it!

7th April 2017

Katherine listens to the great German tenor's ambitious project - the whole of Mahler's mighty orchestral song-cycle.

Mahler’s masterpiece is subtitled as - A Symphony for Tenor and Alto (or Baritone) – and therefore traditionally two voices have sung the six movements of the work. However Jonas Kaufmann feels differently about this and wanted to sing both parts himself. In June this year he joined the Wiener Philharmoniker and conductor Jonathan Nott in a special concert in the Goldener Saal at the Musikverein in Vienna whereby he sang the entire work himself.

Reviews

June 2017

I think [Mahler] would have approved of Jonas Kaufmann’s ground-breaking decision to take the solo part throughout. It’s not much of a stretch for him – a few low notes apart, the lower register suits this baritenor well enough, and the sensitivity to the quieter settings is undoubted in ‘The Lonely Man in Autumn’…and the desolate narratives of farewell before the earth’s resurgence sweeps all frozen grief aside…it’s certainly worth hearing

played with shimmering detail by the Vienna Philharmonic...As expected, Kaufmann is glorious in the tenor songs. In those for lower voice he sings with the same, unaffected sensitivity...An interesting, one-off experiment.

May 2017

Kaufmann is dream casting for the tenor songs, rising terrifically to the heroics and darker hues of the opening song but equally identifying the sparkle and piquancy in ‘Von der Jugend’ and the contrasting rapture at the heart of ‘Der Trunkene im Frühling’

7th April 2017

It’s actually the songs usually assigned to the contralto/baritone that come off best. Once I’d got my initial inevitable ‘Can he?’s and ‘Should he?’s out of the way, though, vocal technicalities weren’t really at the forefront of my mind: my overwhelming impression is of how well the orchestration and the texts suit Kaufmann, who's always at his best when pouring out angry frustration at full throttle, or ruminating on dark nights of the soul.

3rd April 2017

Kaufmann certainly has the “baritonal” low notes to justify his decision, and the ringing tenorial top...Kaufmann is more rewarding in the “baritone” songs, his eloquent diction always a pleasure, and with the nuance and sensibility of a great lieder singer...Not perfection, but this is a must-hear for Mahlerians.

Opera Now June 2017

Kaufmann tackles Mahler with complete assurance...he has no trouble with the lower-lying songs. He doesn't artificially darken or inflate the tone to cope with the tessitura, so the performances flows naturally...Kaufmann certainly has the tenorial reserves to sail through the high-lying outbursts over thick orchestration as well as colouring his voice differently for each song...Nott's conducting is controlled and precise.

Limelight Magazine 7th April 2017

his beautifully recorded version taken from live performances at Vienna’s Musikverein has a great deal to offer, not least of which are Kaufmann’s textual insights, and the revelatory qualities of Jonathan Nott’s interrogation of Mahler’s orchestrations...Kaufmann is able to caress and float phrases at will, and enter into the composer’s more melancholy reflections at his leisure.

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Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

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Recording of the Week, Jonas Kaufmann takes on Das Lied von der Erde - all of it!