Das Lied von der Erde

Das Lied von der Erde is a symphonic song cycle by Gustav Mahler, composed in 1908–1909 and first performed in 1911. Blending late-Romantic orchestral writing with solo vocal passages, it sets translated Chinese poetry in a sequence of instrumental and vocal movements that pair expansive symphonic textures with intimate song-like writing, and it is one of Mahler's late works reflecting his evolving approach to orchestration and themes of mortality.