This recording is being released in Mahler Year 2011, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the composer's death (18 May 1911) and is Hampson's first ever studio recording of the orchestra version of Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Thomas Hampson now adds a special version ("i'm Kammermusikton") of Des Knaben Wunderhorn to his huge discography and videography with works by Gustav Mahler. Hampson is joined by the Wiener Virtuosen, a chamber ensemble of the highly acclaimed principal players of the Wiener Philharmoniker. Long regarded as the premier interpreter of the songs of Gustav Mahler, Thomas Hampson will undertake more than 50 concerts featuring Mahler's songs in the season 2010/2011. "Mahler's music is a 'sound cosmos' unto itself [...] It is a reflection of my own world, something that's extraordinarily informative to me as human being." (Thomas Hampson)