The texts from the collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn were a true musical treasure trove for composers. The three-volume compilation, prepared between 1805 and 1808 by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano, delighted Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, among others. Although the lyrics were used by numerous composers – Carl Maria von Weber, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Richard Strauss – none of them made them such an important element of their work as Gustav Mahler did. During the concert, his songs will be performed in a chamber arrangement by Thomas Cornelius – a composer and organist working for the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie.

It is not known exactly when Gustav Mahler first ran into Des Knaben Wunderhorn, but the first songs to texts from the collection were written in the 1880s. The artist composed the twelve pieces that are currently performed under a common title a little later – in the 1890s. Some of them are intended exclusively for female or male voices, others can be performed interchangeably, and still others – as a duet. This emphasises the colourfulness and folk character of the cycle. Elements taken from folklore are present in the musical layer – in melodic and rhythmic phrases, as well as in dance-like rhythms.

The songs can be presented in any order – they are not a coherent cycle with a clear dramatic structure. The texts selected by Mahler can be divided into three groups. The first one has a soldier’s theme – some are humorous in nature (e.g. the dialogue between a hussar and a girl), others are full of melancholy, and still others contain macabre elements. The most famous of this category is Der Tamboursg’sell. Bohdan Pociej, a distinguished expert on Mahler’s work, wrote about it: “From this situation of soldierly misery, humiliation and fear, Mahler creates a shocking scene of a march towards death – in a slow, heavy, delayed rhythm as if of a funeral march. The raw colour of this scene, exposing the sound of brass instruments, breathes terror.” The second group consists of satirical songs, often with references to the animal world: Saint Anthony of Padua preaches a sermon to the fish, and a donkey pronounces a verdict that the cuckoo sings better than the nightingale. The voices and instruments imitate animal sounds, which enhances the comic effect of these miniatures. The collection also includes pieces that function as lyrical interludes, with a more reflective, atmospheric character.

The combination of brutality, naivety, idyllic images of nature and military themes perfectly matched Mahler’s sensitivity. Des Knaben Wunderhorn became for him not only the inspiration to create a song cycle, but also a source of motifs that he used in his symphonies for the rest of his life. So it was for him a real musical cornucopia.