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Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Wolfgang Holzmair (baritone) & Charles Spencer (piano)
this is a unique sequence, showing that most of the earliest settings which sit alongside the more familiar numbers, usually linked by theme, are just as finely-wrought and no less typical of...
Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Wolfgang Holzmair (baritone) & Charles Spencer (piano)
Purchase product
this is a unique sequence, showing that most of the earliest settings which sit alongside the more familiar numbers, usually linked by theme, are just as finely-wrought and no less typical of...
About
Wolfgang Holzmair is one of the great word-painters of our time and one of the foremost interpreters of Mahler’s songs.
He is embarking on an international tour of this repertoire, which has been a central part of his career, to mark his 60th birthday. His interpretation of this music draws upon many years of experience and brings a deep insight to these wonderful songs.
Mahler composed his settings of poems by Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim in 1892. The piano-writing is remarkable for its almost orchestral complexity and imitation of orchestral effects. Mahler would eventually score 12 of the 'Wunderhorn' songs for orchestra. The poems’ appeal to Mahler is easy to understand: nature, yearning, love, farewells, night, death, spectral goings-on, boisterous youth, high spirits and wry, crisp humour all combined with the agitated imagination and personality of the composer to produce some of the greatest songs by any composer. They also formed the fertile ground from which several of the symphonies grew.
Contents and tracklist
- Wolfgang Holzmair, Charles Spencer
Awards and reviews
Christmas 2012
this is a unique sequence, showing that most of the earliest settings which sit alongside the more familiar numbers, usually linked by theme, are just as finely-wrought and no less typical of Mahler's most haunting preoccupations.
December 2012
His word-painting is superb, replacing sheer vocal firepower wityh more Lieder-friendly qualities of agility , precision and nuance. Poetic narrative is everywhere apparent...Holzmair seems to make the case for Mahler inheriting the Lieder mantle from Schumann...for nearly 80 minutes you can listen to Mahler's melodies and barely recall that they exist in an orchestral version
24th February 2014
There’s no sense in beating about the bush: this is an outstanding Mahler recital and one, moreover, in which the quality and perception of the piano playing gives as much pleasure as the excellent singing...With vivid, totally secure singing and marvellously attuned piano playing this is a deeply satisfying recital.
