# Similar Pieces to Das Lied von der Erde?



## bravenewworld (Jan 24, 2016)

Over the last few months I've developed a really deep love for Mahler's _Das Lied von der Erde_. Now, I'd like to listen to something new which explores Chinese culture through the paradigms of Western classical music. Are there any pieces you know of that do this? Or is _Das Lied_ in a class of its own in the Western canon?


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

I'm afraid you're out of luck. DLvdE is one of a kind. The closest thing I know of are Mahler's Lieder cycles on poems by Rückert, a German poet who was highly influenced by eastern poetry. But I'll be following this thread to see if anyone more knowledgeable than me has anything to say.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

bravenewworld said:


> Now, I'd like to listen to something new which explores Chinese culture through the paradigms of Western classical music. Are there any pieces you know of that do this?


Giacomo Puccini, Turandot
Bêla Bartok, The miraculous mandarin
Benjamin Britten's Songs from the Chinese.
Cornelius Cardew's The Great Learning
Horatiu Radulescu, Lao Tzu Sonatas
Michael Finnissy, Willow Willow (I think) in Folklore
John Adams, Nixon in China



bravenewworld said:


> Or is _Das Lied_ in a class of its own in the Western canon?


The piece which always makes me think of Lied Von Der Erde is Gerard Grisey's Quattre Chants pour Franchir le seuil - but there's no Chinese connection.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Mandryka said:


> The piece which always makes me think of Lied Von Der Erde is Gerard Grisey's Quattre Chants pour Franchir le seuil - but there's no Chinese connection.


Wow, I can't say I hear Das Lied in this, or not yet anyway, but what a unique piece of music. Unlike anything I've ever heard. Thank you for alerting me to the existence of this composer and this work


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

flamencosketches said:


> Wow, I can't say I hear Das Lied in this, or not yet anyway, but what a unique piece of music. Unlike anything I've ever heard. Thank you for alerting me to the existence of this composer and this work


The last piece, the long last song.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

The most obvious answer to a work similar to DLvdE is Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony, but the texts are of Indian rather than Chinese origin. I will leave it to others to extol the virtues of the piece, as it has never done much for me, alas.

Wait a while, and there should be a recording of Krzysztof Penderecki's Sixth Symphony at some stage. It's a setting of various Chinese poems, hence the subtitle "Chinese Letters". Eccentrically, it was composed and first performed after symphonies 7 and 8, although its conception does predate both (!) It was first performed in China a couple of years ago. I haven't heard it, but will snap up the first CD it comes out on (hopefully Antoni Wit on Naxos!)


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Kind of from left field, but La Mer employs pentatonic scales frequently so has an oriental cast in places.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

A few more, recommended ones:

*Alexander Tcherepnin:* _4th Piano Concerto 'Fantaisie_", with Chinese inspiration; here's the first part of 4.





*Stravinsky:* _Song of the Nightingale_






*Poul Schierbeck*, _The Chinese Flute_ - song cycle for Soprano & Orchestra: excerpt:






*Erwin Schulhoff'*s beautiful, Mahleresque "_Menschheit Symphony_" is not very well-known, but there's nothing Chinese in it.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

More stuff, but mostly pastiche-like:

*Einar Englund*: "_The Great Wall of China"_, incidental music






*Walter Braunfels*:" _Three Chinese Songs_" op.19 f. Soprano & Orchestra






*Bohuslav Martinu*: "_Magic Nights, 3 Songs on Chinese Texts"_, for Soprano & Orchestra: no.1






*Aaron Avshalomov*: _Piano Concerto on Chinese Themes_


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

bravenewworld said:


> Over the last few months I've developed a really deep love for Mahler's _Das Lied von der Erde_. *Now, I'd like to listen to something new which explores Chinese culture through the paradigms of Western classical music.* Are there any pieces you know of that do this? Or is _Das Lied_ in a class of its own in the Western canon?


I will add one more, Kalevi Aho's Chinese Songs. A cycle of six songs for soprano and orchestra. The text is adapted from old Chinese poetry. (Sounds familiar?) It's much shorter than Das Lied von der Erde though, and it's modern-sounding (but accessible).










How about music by Chinese composers written in the paradigm of western classical music?

From the popular cannon, there is the "Butterfly Lovers" violin concerto (based on a traditional love story), and the "Yellow River" piano concerto (patriotism in Mainland Chinese style). However, IMO, artistically they fall short.

It gets better if you're willing to explore a bit.

The 20th century composer, Du Ming-xin, is a favourite of mine. I wholeheartedly recommend his violin concerto and the symphonic poem "Goddess of the River Luo". They are tuneful and romantic in style.










There are also a few contemporary composers who are worth exploring, e.g. Ge Gan-ru, Tan Dun, Gordon Chin.

Recordings of their works are wildly available on CDs and various streaming services.

Ge Gan-ru's works are a bit hit and miss IMO but some may be of interest if you want to explore the Chinese culture - "Fairy Lady Meng Jiang" is about a young widow's powerless struggle against imperial tyranny, while "Lovers Besieged" is based on a folklore story of a historically real king committing suicide with his concubine on the eve of defeat in war.










For music that reflects the more recent Chinese culture, there is Tan Dun's "Symphony 1997", written for Hong Kong's return to China in 1997; and there is Gordon Chin's "Formosa Seasons" for violin and strings (Formosa is another name for Taiwan) and his Symphony No. 3 "Taiwan".

















Your mileage will vary though. ^_^


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

CnC Bartok said:


> Wait a while, and there should be a recording of Krzysztof Penderecki's Sixth Symphony at some stage.


I've been waiting for a long time........................


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Kiki said:


> I've been waiting for a long time........................


Patience, old chap.......!


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Kiki said:


> I will add one more, Kalevi Aho's Chinese Songs. A cycle of six songs for soprano and orchestra. The text is adapted from old Chinese poetry. (Sounds familiar?) It's much shorter than Das Lied von der Erde though, and it's modern-sounding (but accessible).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This Aho sounds great. I'll have to get that CD sometime.


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## Andrew Kenneth (Feb 17, 2018)

Das Lied sung in chinese


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

^Thanks for bumping this thread, Andrew Kenneth. I'd forgotten about that Aho CD I vowed to purchase in my previous post. Anyway, I just ordered it.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Andrew Kenneth said:


> View attachment 129227
> 
> Das Lied sung in chinese


Cantonese, actually. Personally, I cannot recommend this version. The Cantonese lines do not really add something, and indeed distract as we are used to the German lines.


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