April is being kind to conductor Patrick Dupré Quigley. First, an interview and a great review of Seraphic Fire’s latest CD appeared in this month’s issue of the prestigious classical music magazine Gramophone. Then, he is scheduled to conduct the chamber version (started by Arnold Schoenberg and finished by Rainer Riehn) of Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (Song of the Earth) next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 17-20.

The latter is both a source of satisfaction and a challenge because of the soloists’ fame and because it involves tackling a work the New Orleans native has long cherished, though it departs from his usual repertoire. The project is enticing and a step up for the founder and artistic director of the choral chamber ensemble that has been twice nominated for an Emmy.

The program will combine a famous Bach cantata in the first part with the Mahler- Schoenberg-Riehn Das Lied von der Erde in the second. Mahler’s monumental song, his “tenth symphony,” was exquisitely reduced for chamber by Schoenberg and Riehn, who captured the elegance and Oriental sensibility of the ancient Chinese poems that inspired the composer in 1907. Quigley spoke passionately about the concert that will provide a perfect ending to Seraphic Fire’s season thanks to the participation of the distinguished mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer and Brian Hymel, the most sought-after American tenor of the moment.

How did you manage to hire two soloists of the caliber of tenor Bryan Hymel and mezzo Susanne Mentzer?

I’d love to be able to tell you that we scored some incredible coup in engaging our soloists for this performance, but the explanation is much more simple. Bryan Hymel and I have been friends since we were 13 years old. We attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans together, we played together in the Jesuit marching band (Bryan on trumpet, myself on percussion), and we were co-chapel organists for our school. Bryan actually sang the first Messiah I ever conducted over a decade ago. We’ve been looking for a chance to work together again, and this seemed like the ideal piece for both of us. The Susanne Mentzer story is very similar. My brother, Joey, attended the Aspen Music Festival for four summers. During his first summer, he was introduced to Susanne, who was teaching in the vocal program at the time. They became good friends, and Susanne invited Joey to come to study at DePaul University. Joey finished his undergraduate degree there and then went on to Rice University, where Susanne had joined the faculty.

In the end, I suppose that both Joey and I are blessed to have such talented and devoted friends.

What are you expectations regarding the audience and this exquisite work?

Seraphic Fire audiences are much like the audience originally intended for this work—hungry for intellectual stimulation, excited to see pieces in a new light, and always wanting to learn more and delve deeper into the music that is performed.  I think the combination of Das Lied with Bach’s Ich Habe Genug will make for an excellent juxtaposition of works by two undisputed masters.

Why Das Lied von der Erde?

So much of what we do at Seraphic Fire is explore different ways of hearing/seeing great works: the Monteverdi Vespers, the Brahms Requiem.  When I came across the Schoenberg/Riehn version of Das Lied, I knew we had to perform it. This smaller version allows our audiences to encounter this work in an incredibly intimate way.

What are the differences between the full orchestral version and the chamber reduction?

The orchestration is substantially smaller; the vocal lines remain the same.

What does the orchestration involve?

Flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, harmonium/celeste, piano, percussion, string quintet.

What is your approach to a such a complex work?

For a piece with such history, such a storied and glorious past, I try to first be well versed in the interpretations that have come before me, but also to think about the context in which this version was meant to be heard.  Schoenberg intended this version of the Das Lied to be performed at his Society for Private Musical Performances, a group of his friends and students who would gather to hear important pieces of music in an intimate setting that would be conducive to delving deeper into these masterpieces. These were private gatherings of friends and colleagues who could discuss the brilliance of the compositional processes of composers who had come before them. Mahler was well represented in the repertoire of these performances, but so were many other composers, including Schubert, Strauss and Debussy.

Is this title a departure for Seraphic Fire or just a personal favorite?

I don’t think this is a departure at all.  Both Seraphic Fire and I have been committed to presenting the pinnacle of concert and chamber music written for the voice; this includes both music for ensemble and for soloists.  Often the showcase of solo vocal lines come as part of a larger work (the Mass in b minor, Mozart’s Requiem), but we have also made a strong commitment to dedicating programs to featuring soloists with orchestra. From the beginning of Seraphic Fire, we’ve showcased the solo voice, through programs such as Schoenberg’s Cabaret Songs and Book of the Hanging Gardens (sung exquisitely by Misty Bermudez), Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin (with baritone David McFerrin), as well as Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Exultate, Jubilate, and many others. Even just last year, we presented Reggie Mobley in a showcase of countertenor arias.

Three performances are scheduled:

• 7:30 pm, April 17, All Saints Episcopal Church, 333 Tarpon Dr., Fort Lauderdale
• 8:00 pm, April 18, Miami Shores Presbyterian Church, 602 NE 96th St., Miami Shores
• 4:00 pm, April 19, South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211th St., Miami

For tickets and more information concerning this program, call 305-285-9060 or go to www.SeraphicFire.org.

Exhibition in context: A Song for the Earth, Sebastian Spreng’s iPad drawings inspired by Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Kelley Roy Gallery, Wynwood-Miami, from April 16 to May 16. www.kelleyroygallery