The Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program’s (LGNOP) performance of Gustav Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn marks the second Australian orchestral rendition of this pivotal work in over thirty years. Performers include Conductor Simon Bruckard, Assistant Conductor for Simone Young AM and former LGNOP Alumnus (2016 and 2018), mezzo-soprano Catherine Carby, a former Queenslander now gracing the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and baritone Oliver Boyd, LGNOP (2017) and now a chorus member at Deutsche Oper Berlin.  Accompanying them is a 64-piece Ensemble Q Orchestra.

Published in 1808, 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn' is a compilation of adapted German folk poems selected by Achim Arnim and Clemens Brentano. Exploring the themes of love, war, and childhood, these poems embody the ideals of romantic nationalism prevalent in 19th-century Germany. The revered Austrian composer Gustav Mahler found immense inspiration in this collection, set selected poems to music, and inserted these musical themes into his early symphonies. His fondness for these pieces led him to publish a comprehensive selection of 'Wunderhorn' in 1899, now recognised as a significant contribution to the classical repertoire.

Company credits:
Founder – Lisa Gasteen AO
Artistic Director – Philip Mayers
Director of Implementation – Nancy Underhill
Project Manager – Zachary Miezio

Performance credits:
Conductor – Simon Bruckard
mezzo-soprano – Catherine Carby
baritone – Oliver Boyd
Orchestra – Ensemble Q Academy Orchestra

Spoken texts written by Philip Mayers and performed by:
Kira Dooner
Jack Bolton
Aylish Ryan
Jia-Peng Yeung
Shanna Goh
Rachael Joyce
Dallas Tippet
Lachlann Lawton

Presented by the Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program. Recorded in 2023 at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University.