Grammy-winning Mezzo-Soprano Kelley O’Connor visited Classic 107.3 to talk about this weekend’s performances of Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, The Song of the Earth, with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Kelley considers the work to be Mahler’s “opera”, and despite his copious notes, would love to ask the composer many questions about this complex piece. (Mahler and Leonard Bernstein would be on Kelley’s dinner party guest list.) Learn more about Mahler’s emotional work and the woman performing it in this laughter-filled conversation!

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit slso.org.

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From the SLSO website:

Mahler’s Song of the Earth

Stéphane Denève, conductor
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
Clay Hilley, tenor

TŌRU TAKEMITSU Night Signal  
QIGANG CHEN L’Éloignement  
GUSTAV MAHLER Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) 

East meets West. Tōru Takemitsu’s Night Signal creates a dreamy soundscape, while Qigang Chen’s L’Éloignement (“Distance”) blends the excitement of exploration with the pang of homesickness. Inspired by Chinese poetry, Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) contains the totality of life, leaving us in awe. Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor, a St. Louis favorite, returns to enchant.