CD1
An die Musik (Du holde Kunst) D547
Erlkönig D328
Du bist die Ruh’ D776
Greisengesang (Der Frost hat mir bereifet)
An den Mond D296
Prometheus D674
Nacht und Träume (Heil’ge Nacht, du sinkest nieder) D827
Gesänge des Harfners D478
From “Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, orchestrated by Max Reger
Gruppe aus dem Tartarus D583
Tränenregen (from “Die schöne Müllerin”) D795 Nr. 10
Der Wegweiser (from “Die Winterreise”) D911 Nr. 20
Memnon (Den Tag hindurch nur einmal mag ich sprechen) D541
Ihr Bild (from “Schwanengesang”) D957 nr. 9
Litaney auf das Fest Aller Seelen D343
Im Abendrot (O wie schön ist deine Welt) D799
Album information
Given his magnificent achievement in the field of art song, and the vast volume and consistently high quality of his Lieder oeuvre, it is not surprising that Schubert’s songs have been recorded numerous times. It is not surprising either that many composers, such as Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Benjamin Britten, Hector Berlioz, Max Reger and Anton Webern made arrangements of Schubert’s songs. What is surprising, however, is the fact that these arrangements – made by some of the greatest composers in musical history – are so seldom heard either in concert or on record.
With the release of this album, hopefully that situation will change. It combines 17 Schubert compositions, of which 13 were orchestrated by late-romantic German composer Reger Max, and four by a member of the Second Viennese School, Anton Webern. When listening to these songs, the listener will discover that these arrangements are made with such craftsmanship that they themselves became unparalleled works of art. The performers on this SACD are the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and German tenor Christian Elsner, conducted by Maestro Marek Janowski. The album’s accompanying booklet contains the lyrics to the songs both in German and English, as well as programme notes and artists’ biographies.