Beethoven made many excursions into the countryside, enjoying getting far away from the big city. In the first movement of the 'Pastorale', the repetition of the short motifs indicates the infiniteness of the tiny details of nature. In the slow movement 'Scene by the Brook', the strings mix together to make the sound of the burbling water, while the flute imitates a nightingale, the oboe a quail, and two clarinets become cuckoos. The scherzo depicting the bustling villagers is followed by the sound of a few drops of rain that swell into an enormous thunderstorm. Finally, the sun emerges, and the work concludes with the hymnlike shepherd's song. Afraid of the curse of ninth symphonies, Mahler refrained from giving it that sequential number, instead electing to title it Der Lied von der Erde. He started composing it after the death of his five-year-old daughter and himself being diagnosed with a heart defect. He supplemented the orchestra with two vocal soloists, and borrowed for it poems from Hans Bethge's volume The Chinese Flute, which had helped him overcome the debilitating crisis. This beautiful monument to life consists of six movements.

Presented by: Budapest Festival Orchestra