SACDs - Wolf, H

This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of the late nineteenth century lieder composer Hugo Wolf, and to mark this event the celebrated lyric tenor Christophe Pregardien, renowned for his work in this area of the repertoire, is joined by soprano Julia Kleiter in a recording of one of Wolf’s key compositions, the “Italienisches Liederbuch” (Italian Songbook).

Born 1956 in Limburg, Germany, Christoph Prégardien is widely regarded as among the foremost lyric tenors of our time. Over the last few years he has produced three critically acclaimed lieder recordings for Challenge Classics, the first two of which have featured Schubert’s great song cycles “Die Schöne Müllerin” (CC72292), and “Schwanengesang” (CC72302). Most recently, in 2009 he released a beautifully compiled collection of songs entitled “Between Life and Death” (CC72324). Julia Kleiter first came to prominence in 2004 when she made her debut as ‘Pamina‘ in a production “Die Zauberflöte“ at Opéra Bastille in Paris. Since then she has performed under Marc Minkowski in Paris and Madrid, and Claudio Abbado at the Edinburgh Festival.

The two parts of Hugo Wolf’s Italian Songbook were written in 1891 and 1896 during a period in which the composer’s physical and psychological health was rapidly deteriorating. It was to be his last important composition, Today Wolf is considered to be one of the most important 19th Century lieder composers, but that recognition was slow in coming. As late as 1931, admirers felt compelled to begin a Hugo Wolf Society to make his lieder better known via gramophone recordings.

The nineteenth century was a golden age for choral singing in Germany and Austria. Beginning in 1810, singing clubs, and later on, choral societies, shot up all over this part of the world like mushrooms. You could join a Liedertafel, Liederkranz, or Männersangverein. Carl Friedrich Zelter, Mendelssohn’s teacher and the leader of the Berliner Singverein, was the first person to use the term “Liedertafel” in 1808. The term was used to indicate an informal meeting of poets, composers, and singers who came together to sing German partsongs.

In a letter addressed to Goethe, Zelter explained that the 25 members of his Liedertafel were accustomed to sit down at a well-furnished table for a sumptuous dinner followed by an evening of singing. Zelter’s group preferred original works, so freshly composed that the ink was still wet. The goal was stimulation and promotion of German poetry and music.

The Gents is unique All-male Dutch vocal ensemble that obtained in a very short period a prominent place within the international music world. The group of young singers is praised because of their special sound, the large degree of flexibility and the unequalled interpretation of the very divergent vocal repertoire. Whether it concerns religious music from the Renaissance, romantic English music, arrangements of contemporary jazz and pop songs or especially composed works for the ensemble, the concerts of The Gents are always an extraordinary experience. The concerts can count therefore on enthusiastic public and positive criticisms in the press.

The selection of songs and arias on this double SACD set reflect on the fundamental question of life and death and cover a period of almost two centuries, the composers featured ranging from Bach through to Tchaikovsky. They are performed by one of the great lyric tenors of our age Christophe Prégardien, accompanied by the pianist Michael Gees. The common theme in the music of this recording is the most fundamental of all, existence itself, life and death. The composers represented are Bach, Mahler, Schubert, Schumann, Mozart, Brahms, Loewe, Wolf, Mendelssohn, and Tchaikovsky. The songs and arias performed here range over almost two centuries with eleven compositions and many musical forms, the simple song with piano accompaniment, the narrative, expansive ballad, the great opera aria and more.

Christoph Prégardien is widely regarded as among the foremost lyric tenors of our time and frequently collaborates with conductors such as Ricardo Chailly, John Elliot Gardiner, Nicolaus Harnoncourt, and Phillipe Herreweghe. He is represented on disc with more than a hundred and twenty titles, including most of his current repertoire. His recordings of German Romantic Lied repertory, particularly his recent releases on Challenge Classics of Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin, (CC72292), and Schwanengesang, (CC72302), have been highly acclaimed by the public and press and have received many major international awards.