What's on

Support Us

Learning & Engagement

Learning & Engagement

ACO Pier 2/3

ACO Pier 2/3

The orchestra

Discover More

A piece of graphic art by Scott Geersen, created in response to Mahler's Song of Earth

Mahler's Song of the Earth

Mahler's Song of the Earth
23 May - 4 Jun 2020
These performances have been suspended due to the outbreak of COVID-19. If you are a current ticket holder, please click here to review your options to donate your tickets, or to receive a credit or refund. 
Australia’s great heldentenor Stuart Skelton and Dutch soprano Christianne Stotijn star in Mahler’s beloved song cycle, led by Richard Tognetti.

In an exclusive Australian appearance, celebrated tenor Stuart Skelton joins Christianne Stotijn, Richard Tognetti and the ACO for a performance of Mahler’s magnificent symphony for two vocalists and orchestra, Das Lied von der Erde (Song of the Earth), in an extraordinary arrangement for chamber ensemble by Schoenberg.

Virtuosic, dramatic and intensely expressive, this moving song-symphony is the perfect vehicle for Skelton and Stotijn’s rich, powerful voices, while Schoenberg’s sublime arrangement reveals an intimacy to Mahler’s commanding yet extremely personal work.

This is an unmissable performance that sees two of the world’s great operatic voices perform one of the 20th century’s most enlightening vocal works.

Program Details

WAGNER – Siegfried Idyll
18:00
MAHLER – Das Lied von der Erde (arr. Schoenberg)
61:00
CONCERT duration
100 min (incl interval)
Playlist by the ACO
Mahler’s Song of the Earth
Join us 45 minutes before the performance to learn about the concert from a music expert. Speakers will be announced prior to the first concert date.

Sat 23 May, 6:15pm


Wed 27 May, 6:15pm


Sun 31 May, 1:15pm


Tue 2 Jun, 7:15pm


Mon 25 May, 6:45pm


Thu 4 Jun, 6:45pm


Fri 29 May, 7:15pm


Artists

Heldentenor Stuart Skelton

Stuart Skelton

Tenor

Recognised as one of the world’s great heldentenors, Australian Stuart Skelton’s tonal beauty and intensely dramatic portrayals have seen him become a mainstay on the international opera stage. He appears frequently with opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, La Scala Milan, Bavarian State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Vienna State Opera, and was nominated for a Grammy in 2018.
Soprano Christianne Stotijn

Christianne Stotijn

Mezzo-soprano

Dutch mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn makes her ACO debut in our 2020 Season. She has worked with many of the world’s leading conductors including Gustavo Dudamel, Mark Elder and Jaap van Zweden and has performed with opera houses such as the Dutch National Opera, Royal Opera and Opera de Paris.
ACO Artistic Director Richard Tognetti

Richard Tognetti AO

Director & Violin

Richard Tognetti is Artistic Director and Lead Violin of the ACO. He has established an international reputation for his compelling performances and artistic individualism.

Richard has appeared as director or soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras. He was Artistic Director of Slovenia’s Festival Maribor from 2008 to 2015 and the first Artist-in-Residence at the Barbican Centre’s Milton Court in 2016. In addition, he has curated and co-composed film scores including the ACO’s Mountain.

Read Full Bio

The Australian Chamber Orchestra on stage

Australian Chamber Orchestra

The Australian Chamber Orchestra travels a remarkable road. Making waves across Australia and around the world for its explosive performances and brave interpretations, the ACO embraces celebrated classics alongside new commissions, and adventurous cross-artform collaborations.

Composers

Composer Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler was an Austro-Bohemien composer who was also one of the leading conductors of his generation. His music underwent decades of neglect, which included bans during Germany’s Nazi-era, but is now widely celebrated and performed, particularly his large symphonies. Mahler once said: “A symphony must be like the world … It must embrace everything.” 
Composer Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner was a German composer whose music, modern for his time, is a precursor to every avant-garde movement that has followed. Often controversial, his artistic ideals were embodied in operas he described as  the “Gesamtkunstwerk” (complete work of art), fusing together music, literature, the visual arts, dance and architecture. 

Creative Response

Artist Scott Geersen's creative response to Mahler’s Song of the Earth, created in collaboration with ACO violinist Maja Savnik.

Collaboration and experimentation lie at the heart of everything we do here at the ACO. To celebrate this milestone year where we mark Richard Tognetti’s 30th year as Artistic Director, we commissioned a series of short films inspired by our musicians and the music in our season. Each film was created by a leading 3D digital animation artist with insights and guidance from one of our musicians. These sound and motion experiments utilise the latest technology to communicate humanity, emotion and the often visceral response we have to music.

Watch All Responses

Related Productions