Due to a fatal heart condition, Mahler knew his days were numbered when he started to compose these pastoral songs, which he never heard performed and were tucked away in his desk atop his unfinished tenth symphony. Inspired by a series of ancient poems entitled “The Chinese Flute,” the songs are a powerful exploration of mortality and transience, using the endless renewal of the earth as a metaphor, and the colors of the orchestra and the vulnerability of the human voice as the vehicle. When asked about the piece Mahler wrote “I believe this is the most personal thing I have done .. something for which there probably are no words.”

This concert, conducted by Fabio Luisi, will feature tenor Stuart Skelton and mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford.