Anne Sofie von Otter in conversation with Christoph Hartmann (16 min.)

The almost half-hour-long final song, “Der Abschied”, from Gustav Mahler’s Lied von der Erde is one of the greatest challenges for singers. The great Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, who performed the work with the Berliner Philharmoniker in the winter of 2011 under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle, is able to convey the expressive depth of this music more authentically and movingly than almost no other. Otter has appeared in all the world’s major opera houses. Opera is just as important to her as oratorio and lieder, with a repertoire ranging from the Baroque to Modernism and includes successful forays into jazz and pop. In conversation with oboist Christoph Hartmann, Anne Sofie von Otter tells of her love for the music of Gustav Mahler and her collaboration with the Berliner Philharmoniker, which began in 1988.