Rosemary Ceravolo wrote:

>Isn't the text of Das Lied based on a Chinese poem? My CD is out of reach
>at this moment, but I'm sure the insert includes the text.

It is based loosely on a set of Chinese poems but they went through so
many "glosses" and translations before they got to Mahler that they are
quite far removed from the original.  Donald Mitchell in his "Songs and
Symphonies of Life and Death" is great on the sources for this.

>I have the Wunderful Wunderlich performance.  If there is a complete
>Kathleen Ferrier performance of Das Lied on CD, I'd appreciate knowing
>about its availability.

There are two.  There is the legendary 1952 Vienna performance on Decca
with Bruno Walter, Julius Patzak and the VPO.  That's on Decca (414 194-2).
There is also a "live" New York Philharmonic recording from 1948 with
Walter again conducting with Set Svanholm as tenor.  This is available in
the expensive New York Philharmonic Mahler box of all the Mahler sympbonies
but the same recording is now out on Naxos at a givewaway price in their
"Immortal Performances" series (8.110029).

In fact there is a third Ferrier Das Lied Von der Erde in existence.
It's a tape in private hands of a BBC broadcast from 1952 with Barbirolli
conducting and Richard Lewis as tenor.  Decca have had it in to listen to
but I doubt they will ever release it.  I have not heard it but I live in
hopes.

Tony Duggan
Staffordshire,
United Kingdom.