triumphant

With universal themes such as love, loss, happiness, oppression, suffering and defiance, Gustav Mahler's songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn are some of the most profound ever written for the voice. Katharina Kammerloher and Arttu Kataja, acclaimed performers from the Berlin State Opera, plumb the depths and shallows of this music with vocal power and striking presence. Eric Schneider accompanies them, transcending the formidable piano part with great drama and expression.

poignant

The most haunting pieces are performed with heightened intensity and great sincerity. In the harrowing song Der Tamboursg’sell (The Drummer Boy), we hear the last words of the condemned as he is marched to the gallows. Mahler denounces the futility of war in Revelge (Reveille). The piano part is filled with demanding trills, frenzied grace notes and octave doublings while the vocal part uses advanced expressive elements that were only later adopted by the composers of the Second Viennese School.