215. Deaths and the Maidens

Works for string orchestra and voices by Josquin Des Prez arranged by Caroline Shaw, and by Schubert arranged by Mahler, performed by A Far Cry and Roomful of Teeth on May 11, 2014.Josquin Des Prez: Nymphes des bois, Arr. Caroline ShawSchubert: Quartet in D Minor, D. 810 (Death and the Maiden) Arr. MahlerThe first work we’ll hear is Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez’s “Nymphes des bois,” a piece written in memoriam of the great composer Johannes Ockeghem, who had recently passed away. The version we’ll hear is a sensitive contemporary arrangement by Caroline Shaw for voices and strings. The other piece on the program is a very different take on death: an arrangement by Mahler of Schubert’s string quartet “Death and the Maiden.” The string quartet was itself an adaptation of Schubert’s song of the same title, which depicts a struggle between a young maiden and the grim reaper. The quartet, and Mahler’s adaptation of it for string orchestra, builds on the song, each expanding it in turn for greater and greater forces. The piece concludes with a tarantella, a swirling, relentless dance of somewhat ambiguous origin, fittingly linked with both courtship and death. The Schubert also features the players of A Far Cry performing.