Hanns Eisler (1898–1962)
Complete Edition [10CD]
PREMIERE
RUNDFUNK-SINFONIEORCHESTER BERLIN
JOHANNES KALLITZKE, Dirigent / conductor
Besides the Oscar-nominated score for Fritz Lang's film 'Hangmen Also Die' (1943), this CD contains other rarely heard works by Hanns Eisler (1898-1962), in which the special interpretation Schönberg's pupil had developed of the twelve-tone technique plays an astonishingly important role for the field of film and orchestral music.
This 10CD box is a tribute to the composer, revealing the enormous amount of music he wrote in a vast variety of styles, from tuneful mass songs to Schoenberg’s 12-note method. Believing as he did in the functionality of music, Eisler employed whatever idiom was appropriate to the task in hand, including drawing inspiration from jazz and popular songs and distortions of military music. Though he wrote some very large works (such as the Deutsche Sinfonie – part symphony, part cantata, part ‘German Requiem’), he was especially a master of small forms, as we see for instance in his Kleine Sinfonie, largely derived from his film music of 1930–2 (and which adheres to his credo that music can offer a new utilisation when it forges links with other artistic forms of expression). Many of his works are of course political-based, but what becomes apparent throughout listening to his oeuvre is that, while rejecting all the rhetoric of Romanticism, Eisler never lost faith in firm technique and the value of solid contrapuntal work. A wealth of talent is assembled for this album, from the first-rate German ensembles Staatskapelle Dresden and Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester to lauded artists such as the character actress Gisela May and the soprano Irmgard Arnold, who can be heard in rehearsal with the composer himself.
Other information:
- Hanns Eisler was without doubt one of the most fascinating composers of 20th century Germany. His left wing political views forced him to flee Nazi Germany, settling in the USA, from where he was exiled in 1948 by Nixon as a “musical Karl Marx” (which he considered a compliment..). In East Berlin he became a strong musical influence, collaborating with Berthold Brecht and others.
- Eisler’s composition style changed considerably over the years: starting out as a 12-tone disciple (he was a private student of Schoenberg in his youth) he ended up writing “functional” music, for people’s understanding, education and enjoyment, always in line with his left wing views on the “elevation of the people”.
- This 10 CD set offers an extensive (though by far not complete, he wrote an enormous amount of music) survey of Eisler’s works: symphonic, operatic, chamber music, vocal works, performed by the best East German forces, like Staatskapelle Berlin, RSO Berlin, RSO Leipzig, Berliner Singakademie and singers like Gisela May and Irmgard Arnold.
- The extensive and excellent liner notes (more like an essay) are available on the Brilliant Classics website.
- Booklet contains an overview of the composer and his music as well as full tracklists for CDs 4, 5, 6, 7 & 10.
Other information:
- Hanns Eisler was without doubt one of the most fascinating composers of 20th century Germany. His left wing political views forced him to flee Nazi Germany, settling in the USA, from where he was exiled in 1948 by Nixon as a “musical Karl Marx” (which he considered a compliment..). In East Berlin he became a strong musical influence, collaborating with Berthold Brecht and others.
- Eisler’s composition style changed considerably over the years: starting out as a 12-tone disciple (he was a private student of Schoenberg in his youth) he ended up writing “functional” music, for people’s understanding, education and enjoyment, always in line with his left wing views on the “elevation of the people”.
- This 10 CD set offers an extensive (though by far not complete, he wrote an enormous amount of music) survey of Eisler’s works: symphonic, operatic, chamber music, vocal works, performed by the best East German forces, like Staatskapelle Berlin, RSO Berlin, RSO Leipzig, Berliner Singakademie and singers like Gisela May and Irmgard Arnold.
- The extensive and excellent liner notes (more like an essay) are available on the Brilliant Classics website.
- Booklet contains an overview of the composer and his music as well as full tracklists for CDs 4, 5, 6, 7 & 10.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario
Comentá che!