Who today can quite imagine a time when live performances of the great symphonic repertoire were blue-moon occasions and recordings barely existed? The vital function chamber arrangements served back then are less obvious today—but even so, the new perspective they offer can be well worth exploring. Certainly, that’s true of Arnold Schoenberg’s reduction of Gustav Mahler’s late symphonic song cycle Das Lied von der Erde, which takes as its text adaptations of classical Chinese poetry. Even with the gargantuan orchestral complement Mahler intended, delicacy and nuance are of the essence. Schoenberg had an ear of rare acuity for sonic textures; this is the man who rewrote the transcendent Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, op. 25, of Johannes Brahms for orchestra minus piano to prevent the keyboard from drowning out everything else. With Das Lied von der Erde, Schoenberg’s thinking went the other way; in a smaller room, in the company of a drastically reduced ensemble—string and wind quintets, plus piano, celesta, harmonium, and three (!) percussionists—the intimacy between soloists and listeners can blossom exponentially. The mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung and the tenor Ben Bliss are sure to relish their opportunities. Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s program also includes selections by Emmanuel Chabrier and Thomas Adès. —Matthew Gurewitsch