Song of the Earth
(Das Lied von der Erde)
Music by Gustav Mahler
Chamber arrangement by Arnold Schoenberg
Text from Hans Bethge’s Die chinesische Flöte
Conducted by David Angus | Directed by Anne Bogart
BLO’s Opera + Community Studios
Friday, March 20 | 7:30pm
Saturday, March 21 | 3:00pm
Sunday, March 22 | 3:00pm
Friday, March 27 | 7:30pm
Saturday, March 28 | 3:00pm
Sunday, March 29 | 3:00pm
Running time: 85 minutes with no intermission
An intimate staging of one of Mahler’s last works.
Composed in the shadow of profound personal tragedy, Gustav Mahler’s Song of the Earth (Das Lied von der Erde) is a meditation on nature, longing, and farewell. Presented in Schoenberg’s chamber arrangement, director Anne Bogart’s new production uses projections, light, and immersive staging to invite you into the emotional core of the music while crafting a vivid sensory experience of beauty, fragility, and impermanence. BLO’s Opera + Community Studios provides a 250-seat setting designed for immediacy, creating a rare opportunity to encounter Mahler’s farewell up close — fleeting, intimate, and unrepeatable.
Song of the Earth takes place in a single room inhabited across time by three figures: the Poet, who occupies the space shortly before his death; the Lover, who remains after him, suspended in memory; and the Mother, who lives in the present, grieving the loss of her child. Though they share the room, they exist in different temporal states, their lives overlapping without fully touching. Through Mahler’s songs and additional spoken text written by Anne Bogart, the work becomes a meditation on grief, memory, and endurance—ending not with resolution, but with continuation, as loss and life persist side by side.
Upon arrival, all patrons are invited to the themed installation in the upstairs lobby, which creates the ambiance for the evening. Come mingle, chat, relax, meditate, or get a drink—it’s a wonderful way to enter the world of Song of the Earth.
Brandon Jovanovich’s appearance is supported by Katie and Paul Buttenwieser.
Raehann Bryce-Davis’ appearance is supported by Winfield and Linda Perry.
“Beautifully sung and acted. One of the most effective productions I’ve seen this season, in any genre!”
– The New England Theatre Geek
“The new Opera + Community Studios offer attendees a rare, intimate look at the thrilling fullness of the genre, proving exactly how it has survived for over 400 years.”
– The Poplar Review
Opera + Community Studios
15 Channel Center St | Boston, MA 02210
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$9 (+ fee) Evening/Weekend flat rate, 8 hours maximum
New day begins at 3:30am
$25 Student Rush tickets will be available for sale in person at the Box Office beginning one (1) hour before the beginning of each performance by presenting a student ID at the time of purchase. You may purchase up to two (2) Student Rush tickets with your ID. Student Rush tickets are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.