Emanuel Ax and Tamara Mumford in "Das Lied von der Erde" You had to be impressed by the devotion of Mahler lovers on Sunday afternoon, when an eager audience packed Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater for an unusual program presented by Lincoln Center's White Light Festival and the New York Philharmonic. The main work was a novelty: Schoenberg's arrangement of Mahler's symphonic song cycle "Das Lied von der Erde" ("The Song of the Earth"). In this version, completed in 1983 by the composer Rainer Riehn, Mahler's orchestration is rescored for chamber ensemble; it was performed here by 15 players. Emanuel Ax was both soloist and ensemble member on Sunday at the Rose Theater, Lincoln Center. At a time when New York was still reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, it was heartening to see so many adventurous concertgoers grabbing the chance to hear Schoenberg's version of this repertory staple, performed by members of the New York Philharmonic and the pianist Emanuel Ax, conducted by Matthias Pintscher, best known as a composer. Mahler had an inside-out understanding of orchestration, both as a composer of towering symphonic works and as a major conductor. But even many Mahlerites concede that his orchestrations are sometimes dense and overpowering. In "Das Lied," for the most part Mahler achieved striking transparency in his orchestration, in keeping with the nature of the texts, which he drew from a collection of Chinese poems freely translated into German by Hans Bethge. The problematic exception comes in the exuberant, thickly scored opening song, "Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde" ("Drinking Song of Earth's Sorrow"). Even heldentenors have trouble cutting through the glittering symphonic sound. But on Sunday the hearty young tenor Russell Thomas had no trouble soaring over the chamber ensemble. There are varied instrumental colorings in this arrangement, which includes parts for piano, harmonium and percussion. With just five string players, in certain passages a solo horn or complement of woodwinds dominates the overall sound. Still, this arrangement allowed inner details to emerge with fresh clarity. Schoenberg intended his arrangement for the short-lived private music society that he organized in Vienna in 1918, whose main purpose was to present repeated hearings of deserving recent works. Naturally, symphonic scores had to be reduced to chamber size. But this scaled-down "Das Lied" deserves a concert life of its own. In the opening of the second song, "Der Einsame im Herbst" ("The Lonely One in Autumn"), the sensitive singing of the rich-voiced mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford was cushioned in crucial passages by just a solo violin and oboe. The poetic image of the autumn mists drifting over the lake is evoked with gentle rippling figures in the winds and strings. And the sixth and final song, "Der Abschied" ("The Farewell"), sung tenderly by Ms. Mumford, was especially bittersweet and affecting in this lucidly scored, delicate and intimate arrangement. It was impressive to see Mr. Ax taking part, merely one of 15 dedicated musicians. Mr. Ax, the Philharmonic's artist in residence this season, began the program with a beautifully voiced and serene account of Bach's Prelude and Fugue No. 8 in E flat minor from "The Well-Tempered Clavier," Book 1, which led without break into a crystalline performance of Schoenberg's Six Little Piano Pieces (Op. 19). These two works established a historical context and set the right mood for the revelatory performance of "Das Lied" that followed. The White Light Festival continues through Nov. 18 at Lincoln Center; (212) 721-6500, whitelightfestival.org.