A message from the composer, Rolf Gupta, born in 1967: “Earth’s Song is a reflection of the wonder, longing and joy of creation. It’s also a warning: if we don’t stop to listen to the song of the earth we are in danger of extinguishing our own lives and the fragile nature that we form a part of. Might we be in the process of destroying ourselves in our frustration over the absence of answers?” Commissioned for the centennial of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and premiered to critical acclaim in 2020, this hour-long oratorio for orchestra, chorus, and soloists is sung to texts from ancient India, the Bible, and the writings of Friedrich Schiller (poet of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”) and Gustav Mahler (known for an Earth’s Song—Das Lied von der Erde—of his own). —M.G