Acclaimed German baritone Matthias Goerne—soloist in this weekend’s San Diego Symphony performances of Mahler’s The Boy’s Magic Horn (Des Knaben Wunderhorn)—is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers performing today. Renowned for his artistry across both the art song and operatic repertoire, Goerne is consistently praised for the emotional depth, tonal beauty, and interpretive intelligence he brings to every performance.

Stereophile once described him as “the most intimate of singers… sincerity, emotional depth, and unforced identification with the emotions expressed.”

In conversation with San Francisco Classical Voice, Goerne reflected on the context of Des Knaben Wunderhorn, a collection of early 19th-century German folk poems by Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim that inspired Mahler’s settings of love songs, soldiers’ tales, wanderers’ reflections, and childhood visions.

“Mahler was drawn to the Brentano texts because of the military situation in Europe shortly before the First World War. These songs, for me, are quite political in a totally logical way for this late, late Romantic period. There is no other repertoire from late Romantic composers that makes so concrete what it means to suffer because you have no food, you have no space, and you are always fleeing from some danger that is surrounding you.”

In another interview (Music Reviews), Goerne emphasized how the music itself transcends the words:

“In the end, the music is much more important than the text. For me, Des Knaben Wunderhorn is the most fantastic piece in the entire baritone-with-orchestra song repertoire. The words are incredible, but in the end, the climax of the harmonies is so strong that everyone forgets what you are telling them.”

Matthias Goerne performs with the San Diego Symphony and Music Director Rafael Payare on November 7 and 8 at Jacobs Music Center. For tickets click here.