Inspired by the chamber arrangements which Schoenberg and his circle created for later Viennese performances, Iain Farrington’s exquisite arrangement of Das Lied von der Erde preserves Mahler’s original instrumentation, but distils his vast symphonic scoring to an intimate sixteen-player orchestration. The result is a transparent, jewel-like reduction, perfectly suited for Kings Place, where this performance was recorded in 2017.

“The glowing instrumental sunset that accompanies these final utterances capped a searingly intense reading of the score from the Aurora players under their founder and principal conductor Nicholas Collon. Farrington’s arrangement provides a serious workout for all concerned, with more or less every note part of an exposed solo, but there was real expressive identification from every musician, within the context of a true chamber ensemble as first among equals.” ★★★★★ Bachtrack

Filmed live at Kings Place in 2017.
Broadcast for free on Kings Place’s KPlayer on Wednesday 1 July 2020.