Des Knaben Wunderhorn cover

Des Knaben Wunderhorn

Leonard Bernstein · 1989

57 min · 13 tracks · classical music

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

93 /100
Summit
Higher than 100% of albums we've rated

Mahler’s songs turn folk-like tunes into sharply contrasted dramatic scenes, and the orchestral performance gives their shifts in tone and pulse unusual definition.

What we noticed

  • The sequence shifts from the playful call-and-response of “Verlorne Müh’” to the darker military march of “Revelge,” then returns to a gentler, more lyrical pace in “Rheinlegendchen.”
  • “Lied des Verfolgten im Turm” sets two vocal lines against each other, while “Urlicht” at the end broadens the scale into a sustained, hymn-like close.
  • The songs alternate sharply between comic folk-song turns and death-haunted marches; the orchestral writing gives the marches a persistent pulse rather than treating them as simple strophic songs.
Composition 25% of the score
9/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
9/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
8/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
8/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
8/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 5/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 1. Der Schildwache Nachtlied 6:02
  • 2 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 2. Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht? 2:16
  • 3 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 3. Der Tamboursg’sell 5:16
  • 4 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 4. Das irdische Leben 2:57
  • 5 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 5. Verlorne Müh’ 3:03
  • 6 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 6. Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt 3:43
  • 7 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 7. Revelge 6:48
  • 8 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 8. Rheinlegendchen 3:33
  • 9 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 9. Lob des hohen Verstandes 2:37
  • 10 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 10. Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen 8:29
  • 11 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 11. Lied des Verfolgten im Turm 4:35
  • 12 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 12. Trost im Unglück 2:34
  • 13 Des Knaben Wunderhorn: 13. Urlicht 5:42

What to play next

Symphonie no. 1
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Symphonie no. 1

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Symphonie No. 6 / Kindertotenlieder

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Reference: MusicBrainz