Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Bruno Walter, conductor
Kerstin Thorborg, contralto
Charles Kullman, tenor



Recorded: 24th May 1936

This recording of 'Das Lied von der Erde' is of particular interest on several counts, in addition to its extraordinary quality as a purely musical document. It is conducted by Bruno Walter, a close colleague of the composer and the conductor of the first performance of the work, following Mahler's death.

The orchestra is the Vienna Philharmonic, with which Mahler himself was intimately associated. This recording was made in 1936 when a certain number of players, who played under Mahler, would still have been playing in the Orchestra. The performance itself is outstanding, and the recording, engineered originally by HMV, is very good indeed for the period and circumstances.