Berg: Lyric Suite for soprano and string quartet

Founded in 1979, The Petersen Quartett have established themselves as a highly acclaimed quartet, performing in concert halls worldwide. Famous for devoting their energies to the demands both of the classical quartet literature and of contemporary music, they are regarded in every respect as a pioneering ensemble among the new generation of string quartets. They have exceeded any ordinary repertoire of a string quartet and Phoenix Edition is delighted to present recordings of Schönberg, Webern and Berg.

The quartet are joined by Christine Schäfer, whose collaboration with the Petersen Quartett on a recording of Aribert Reimann’s collection of Mendelssohn/Schumann song transcriptions on the Capriccio label was the winner of the 2007 ECHO Klassik Award for Best Lied recording.

Both string quartet and soprano aim to broaden ther horizons by constantly searching new, exciting programme material and they accomplish this on this new CD that features the sensational re-discovery of the secret voice from Alban Berg’s “Lyrical Suite” as well as Arnold Schönberg’s string quartet No. 2 (unusual in that a soprano voice is included instead of a string quartet in the 3rd and 4th movements) and Anton Webern’s “Slow Movement”; all of them masterfully rendered.

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 ***