Elena Zhidkova and Nikolai Schukoff sing “Das Lied von der Erde”, by Mahler, in Les Arts

Mezzo-soprano Elena Zhidkova and tenor Nikolai Schukoff will sing Gustav Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" in a concert conducted by George Pehlivanian on April 6 at the Auditori del Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.

Les Arts brings together two outstanding voices that have already garnered public acclaim in Valencia for this masterpiece by Mahler, an author with whom the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana has also reached the highest levels of excellence.

“Das Lied von der Erde” (The Song of the Earth) is one of the last works completed by the Austrian genius. Written a year after the death of his daughter Maria (1907) and three years before his own, the score is a monumental symphony consisting of six movements conceived as independent songs.

Elena Zhidkova made her debut at Les Arts in 2014 with Bartók's "Bluebeard's Castle," conducted by Henrik Nánási. The Petersburg-born mezzo-soprano is a renowned performer who has appeared at prestigious festivals such as Bayreuth, Edinburgh, and the Salzburg Easter Festival, and has been conducted by renowned conductors including Claudio Abbado, Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Kent Nagano, and Myung-Whun Chung.

Nikolai Schukoff, for his part, sang for the first time at Les Arts in the new production of “Salome,” which opened the III Festival del Mediterrani with Zubin Mehta as musical director and Francisco Negrín as stage director. In subsequent seasons, the Austrian tenor has been part of the casts of Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov,” Strauss’s “Ariadne auf Naxos,” and Wagner’s “Die Walküre,” in the multi-award-winning production by La Fura dels Baus under the baton of Zubin Mehta.

The program for this concert is completed with the Spanish premiere of “Mural” by Francisco Coll, a commission from the Luxembourg Philharmonic, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.