Schoenberg: 6 Lieder for soprano and orchestra, Op. 8

On his first recording as the conductor of the Beethoven Orchestra of Bonn, Stefan Blunier offers us a look at four important phases in the life of Schönberg. The selection ranges from the late-romantic Notturno to the atonal Orchestral Pieces and the romantic transcription of a Prelude & Fugue by Bach.

Arnold Schoenberg's subscription 'Society for Private Musical Performances', which gave 113 concerts between 1918 to 1921, of chamber music and piano pieces by a host of important avant-garde composers, also encouraged the transcription of modern scores for chamber ensemble.The statutes, drawn up by his friend and pupil Alban Berg, were incredibly strict: even applause was forbidden. "Any form of approval, disapproval or acknowledgement is forbidden.The only thing a composer may receive in these venues is the most important of all: to be played" Lastly the programmes were never communicated in advance, so that the judgement of the association's members should not in any way be formed before they had been able to hear the works.The present recording offers two of these chamber versions which appeared on the Society's programmes on 10th, 20th and 23rd January 1921. Oxalys, founded in 1993 by students of the Brussels Conservatory, revives this key-event in association with Belgian soprano Laure Delcampe, who has studied with Walter Berry, Mitsuko Shiraï and Hartmut Höll.

This set shows the so-called bogey-men of the Second Viennese School, from their hyper Romantic height, through Expressionism and onto the more entertaining aspects of Serialism, as entertainers of a great order. The Nineteenth-Century heritage of Schubert, Brahms and Wagner are never far from Schoenberg, Berg and Webern in these 8 CDs, which concentrate on the earlier, more approachable (and often finest) products of three distinct composers, rather than any school. The performers reflect the composers' Romantic leanings here; Sinopoli bringing in artists at the height of their early careers: Deborah Voigt, Alessandra Marc and Juliane Banse.

The ever-approachable Berg is seen at his kindest and Webern, a figure who looked as far back as he did forward is as finely tuned in Im Sommerwind as in the Op.21 Symphony – a simply and fascinating journey. Schoenberg is in full splendour, too. Sounding more like Mahler's heir than a prophet of total change.

“In his highly compelling live recording, Sinopoli conducts a most sensuous reading of Gurrelieder, bringing out all it’s romantic voluptuousness… anyone who has ever thought of Schoenberg as cold should certainly hear this, magnetic from first to last…" Penguin Guide ***

“It would be hard to imagine more romantic readings of Berg’s principal orchestral works than those under Giuseppe Sinopoli. The atonal arguments of Berg have never been presented more sinuously, cocooning the ear, helped by sumptuous playing and recording” Penguin Guide ***