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Mahler's Das klagende Lied

Mahler鈥檚 cantata Das klagende Lied is performed by the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, 麻豆社 SSO and soloists under conductor Sir Donald Runnicles at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Schubert鈥檚 enigmatic Unfinished Symphony opens tonight鈥檚 concert with music of profound longing and unanswered questions, setting the scene perfectly for Mahler鈥檚 Das klagende Lied, a vast early masterpiece where folklore, tragedy and fate take centre stage.
Mahler's cantata is inspired by two chilling German fairy tales and explores themes of fratricide and ghostly revenge. A jealous man murders his younger brother. When a wandering minstrel makes one of the victim鈥檚 bones into a flute, it sings the tale of the crime 鈥� with cataclysmic consequences.
Mahler鈥檚 score anticipates his later great symphonies in its colourful orchestration and melodic beauty. Highlights include vivid depictions of idyllic woodland and a lively wedding feast, plangent lyrical solos and choral writing full of drama.

Presented by Kate Molleson and recorded at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on 27 August 2026.

Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor, 鈥楿nfinished鈥�
Mahler: Das klagende Lied (original version, 1880)

Kathleen O'Mara, soprano
Catriona Morison, mezzo-soprano
John Findon, tenor
Nicholas Brownlee, baritone
Edinburgh Festival Chorus
James Grossmith, chorus director
Members of the National Youth Choir of Scotland
Christopher Bell, chorus director
麻豆社 Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor

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2 hours, 14 minutes

Last on

Mon 14 Sep 2026 19:30
麻豆社 Radio 3

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Bernstein's Chichester Psalms

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Recipes

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Music Played

  • Franz Schubert

    Symphony No.8 in B minor 'Unfinished'

    Orchestra: 麻豆社 Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Donald Runnicles.

  • Gustav Mahler

    Piano Quartet in A minor

    Performer: Nicola Benedetti. Performer: Tom Dunn. Performer: Leonard Elschenbroich. Performer: Alexei Grynyuk.
    • The Silver Violin.
    • Decca.
    • 013.

  • Gustav Mahler

    Das klagende Lied

    Singer: Kathleen O鈥橫ara. Singer: Catriona Morison. Singer: John Findon. Singer: Nicholas Brownlee. Choir: Edinburgh Festival Chorus. Conductor: James Grossmith. Choir: Members of the National Youth Choir of Scotland. Conductor: Christopher Bell. Orchestra: 麻豆社 Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Donald Runnicles.

  • Samuel Coleridge鈥怲aylor

    Ballade in C Minor, Op. 73

    Performer: Marianne Thorsen. Performer: Ian Brown.
    • Coleridge-Taylor: Piano Quintet & Clarinet Quintet.
    • Hyperion.
    • 5.

  • Samuel Coleridge鈥怲aylor

    Sea Drift

    Choir: London Choral Sinfonia. Conductor: Michael Waldron.
    • Coleridge-Taylor: Choral Works.
    • Orchid Classics.
    • 201.

Broadcast

  • Mon 14 Sep 2026 19:30
    麻豆社 Radio 3