A work of Gustav Mahler's youth, Das klagende Lied has much in common stylistically with Des knaben Wunderhorn and the early symphonies, yet it has never enjoyed a similar popularity, due in part to its awkward construction, huge instrumental and vocal demands, and atypical operatic character; perhaps most of all, its unfamiliarity owes to its late entry into the repertoire and its sporadic recording history. Comparatively few recordings have been made of this fairy tale cantata, and most have appeared since the 1970s, when ...
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A work of Gustav Mahler's youth, Das klagende Lied has much in common stylistically with Des knaben Wunderhorn and the early symphonies, yet it has never enjoyed a similar popularity, due in part to its awkward construction, huge instrumental and vocal demands, and atypical operatic character; perhaps most of all, its unfamiliarity owes to its late entry into the repertoire and its sporadic recording history. Comparatively few recordings have been made of this fairy tale cantata, and most have appeared since the 1970s, when the Mahler revival brought virtually all of his works to light. Important recordings by Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Simon Rattle, and Riccardo Chailly have since given this flawed but fascinating work some of the belated recognition it deserves. To this list, Michael Tilson Thomas contributed his brilliant interpretation of the original three-movement version in 1996, and this live recording with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra & Chorus first appeared on...
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