Iain Farrington on Mahler’s Song of the Earth
On 12 November 2024, we’ll perform Iain Farrington’s chamber arrangement of Mahler’s Song of the Earth. Read on to hear Iain talk about the history of the piece, the reception of Mahler’s music during his lifetime, and how his own arrangement of the piece retains the character of the original.
Gustav Mahler composed his song-symphony Das Lied von Erde at a time of great personal crisis and tragedy. His eldest daughter Maria had suddenly been taken ill while on their summer holiday in 1907, and subsequently died. This left Gustav and his wife Alma completely bereft, further complicated by Gustav then being diagnosed with a heart defect. Mahler had often composed music that directly reflected events in his own life, and Das Lied von der Erde is almost a Requiem for his lost child, and a realisation of his own mortality. He composed it in 1908–1909, setting seven poems for two solo singers and a large orchestra. The texts are taken from Hans Bethge’s The Chinese Flute (1908), a contemporary German version of ancient Chinese verses. Mahler chose a selection of poems that are often delicate, pictorial, and filled with a love of nature. Much of the orchestral writing is light and soloistic, creating transparent textures that contain intricate details. It is a world away from Mahler’s preceding 8th Symphony with its monumental forces and grand gestures. After the blazing fury of the opening song with its cry of rage against the shortness of life, the songs take on an intimate and quiet tone. The loneliness and decay of Autumn is captured in frequent two-part writing, followed by the dainty playfulness of youth, the sensuous allure of beauty, and the abandoned joy of drinking. It is in the final song that Mahler confronts death, although even here the orchestra rarely reaches full volume or any more than a chamber size. The fragile nature of this music gives an emotional intensity that is often overwhelming, as well as beautiful.
Mahler’s music had mixed success in his lifetime, and was certainly not guaranteed the esteem that it now holds. Amongst his earliest supporters was the young Arnold Schoenberg, who came to revere Mahler, and actively promoted Mahler’s music. The Viennese music society that Schoenberg ran from 1919 to 1921 gave frequent performances of Mahler’s music. These were mostly in piano duet arrangements, with occasional performances of arrangements for chamber orchestra. Schoenberg planned to arrange and perform Das Lied von der Erde in this way, but the society closed due to lack of funds before this took place. The piece is particularly apt for the society, as the music often has a soloistic, contrapuntal orchestration that points towards the pared-down sound world of Berg, Webern, and Schoenberg himself. Schoenberg’s version requires piano and harmonium as ‘filler’ instruments, and misses important trumpet and percussion elements, leading to a sound that is somewhat dry and colourless. This new arrangement consciously avoids Schoenberg’s instrumentation, and instead aims to create a full orchestral picture from sixteen players, using only the instruments in Mahler’s score. By retaining the character of the original and treating every player as a soloist, Mahler’s exposed and chamber-like writing can be successfully recreated. The solo singers are balanced with greater clarity and there is an added intimacy to the sound. It allows the depth and colour of this wonderful score to be realised in a truly personal way.
Iain Farrington, October 2024
Iain Farrington is a pianist, organist, composer and arranger. You can find out more about him on his website.
City of London Sinfonia performed Iain’s arrangement of Mahler’s Song of the Earth at Smith Square Hall on 12 November 2024.