Mahler’s Song of the Earth
12 May 2024
Stuart Skelton and Catherine Carby star in this extraordinary encounter with Mahler’s monumental song cycle.
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Date |
Time |
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Sunday 12 May 2024 |
2pm |
In English
Wheelchair accessible
No language barrier
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House
Duration
This event will run for approximately 2 hours.
Mahler’s Song of the Earth
Standing face to face with death, Gustav Mahler did not cower from the abyss. He reached deep into his soul and conjured his final song cycle, Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) – described by Leonard Bernstein as the greatest “symphony” of this master symphonist. It tells it all. The sweet bitterness of our brief lives. Darkness, light, cruelty, love, beauty and at last, catharsis.
Richard Tognetti directs this unusually intimate encounter with Mahler. Arnold Schoenberg, another titan composer of the 20th century, took Mahler’s signature mighty sound and arranged it for chamber ensemble, carefully preserving the texture and impact of the original. The arrangement gives two soloists room to shine.
Joining Richard and the ACO is Stuart Skelton, one of the great tenors of our time. Commanding a voice of incredible power and passion, he sings the most demanding music ever written for the human voice. This is a rare chance to hear him on his home stage, alongside celebrated Australian mezzo-soprano Catherine Carby.
It is love that makes us grieve death, so balancing Mahler’s powerful exploration of the human condition is the tender warmth of Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll – a musical gift to his wife, and the songs of Alma Mahler-Werfel sung by Catherine Carby – exquisite expressions of love and beauty.
The ACO will be joined on stage by guest artists on percussion, mandolin, harmonium and an array of wind and brass instruments for a thrilling spectacle. When this program debuted at the Edinburgh Festival it received rave reviews and audiences were in raptures.
“It was phenomenal… incredibly stimulating.” – Herald Scotland.
Give yourself over to this extraordinary music, as Mahler captures the very human struggle that unites us and, ultimately, the quiet ecstasy of acceptance that brings us inner peace.
Presented by the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Program
RICHARD WAGNER Siegfried Idyll
ALMA MAHLER-WERFEL (arr. David Matthews) Laue Sommernacht; Die stille Stadt; Bei dir ist es traut (World Premiere of new arrangements)*
GUSTAV MAHLER (arr. Arnold Schoenberg & Rainer Riehn) Das Lied von der Erde
*Arrangements commissioned by the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Artists
Richard Tognetti
Director & Violin
Catherine Carby
Mezzo-Soprano
Stuart Skelton
Tenor
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Throughout 2024 the ACO travels across genres and artforms, traversing centuries of music from the celebrated classics to the sounds of tomorrow as only it can. And the spark at the heart of it all: the Orchestra, leading the way and igniting this season of extraordinary music for you.
Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars. Please remember to maintain physical distancing whilst consuming drinks in our foyers.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer consistent with COVID-safe rules.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see their website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel and COVID-19 safety measures. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six min walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We encourage you to wear a mask in indoor settings or when physical distancing can’t be maintained, and please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of everyone on site, and we are closely following NSW Health guidelines and advice. The Sydney Opera House is registered as a COVID Safe business with the NSW Government. For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you when visiting, please see our plan your visit page.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
As you move around the Opera House, practise physical distancing (1.5 metres whenever possible) and follow the guidance provided by our staff and signage.
Within venues, always take your allocated seat.
For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you, please see our plan your visit page.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
Contact information is required when making a booking with us and upon arrival at the Opera House, as set out in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events and our Customer Privacy Statement.
As the ticket purchaser, you are responsible for recording the contact details of your guests. Contact information will only be used for the purposes of contact tracing, if required, and will be deleted at least 28 days after your event.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend. If you can no longer attend because you are unwell, or have been in contact with someone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the Opera House has introduced flexible ticketing options to help you.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House will become a smoke-free site from Saturday 1 January 2022.
By becoming a smoke-free site, the Opera House seeks to reduce exposure to harmful second-hand smoke, as well as minimise the impact of smoking on the environment, including litter and pollution of the surrounding marine environment.
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