"Anglo-German contralto Claudia Huckle, tenor Nicky Spence and pianist Justin Brown present Mahler's autograph piano version of Das Lied von der Erde in this stunning new recording. The recording was a lockdown project, which provided Huckle with a focus for over a year during the pandemic. 'During the spring of 2020, I realised that if I never performed again, my greatest regret would be never having sung Das Lied von der Erde. I have loved this piece since I was a teenager, and have always felt that for a German-speaking contralto like me it would be the biggest and most exciting musical challenge of all. I took Das Lied von der Erde off the shelf, and decided: it's time. That's how this recording was born. I am so pleased to have found the ideal partners for the project in tenor Nicky Spence and conductor/pianist Justin Brown, and to have brought it to fruition.' [Claudia Huckle, contralto] Like many of Mahler's song collections and cycles, Das Lied von der Erde was conceived in both a piano and orchestral version. Both were intended for the concert hall, but the piano version has remained overlooked and is virtually unknown. Yet there are persuasive advantages: 'There is an intimacy in the writing which is intensified in the interplay of two musicians equally foregrounded; the poetry becomes more immediate, and the delicacy of much of the writing achieves a natural transparency.' [Justin Brown, pianist/conductor] The recording is generously supported by the Gustav Mahler Society UK in partnership with Champs Hill Records."