Gustav Mahler’s Song of the Earth, a work about Life and Death, Youth and Old Age, Day and Night, combines western composition with an unfamiliar, far-eastern soundworld. We have adopted the Mahlerian concept Dialogue of the Diverse as the central focus of the planned concert project. The programming concept is certainly unique: it was inspired by the twin global perspective which Mahler wove throughout his Song of the Earth, even at structural level. As well as the ensemble which will play Mahler’s richly scored orchestral work in the Second Half, the First Half of the concert will feature several world premieres performed by solo instrumentalists – each of which will be written specifically for the project, making reference to Mahler’s work, both in content and compositional process. We have been especially fortunate in securing top-class soloists (Berlin Philharmonics) and composers from Japan, Hungary, Israel, Germany, France and the USA. They are undertaking the challenge of interpreting Mahler’s messages anew, through the means of solo music.
This concert series was realised with Jungen Kammerphilharmonie Berlin (organiser, commissioner and orchestra) and musicians from the Berliner Philharmoniker (soloists and teachers).