Hertha Kräftner, whose poems are set in Heucke's cycle, was a promising figure in Austrian post-war literature alongside Ingeborg Bachmann, but she committed suicide at age 23.
Performer Biography
Anette Fischer-Lichdi, the pianist, won second prize and a special award for the best Schubert song interpretation at the 'Franz Schubert and Modern Music' competition in Graz.
Composition History
Stefan Heucke's 'Sieben Lieder vom Tod' is a first recording on this album.
Composer Biography
Stefan Heucke, the composer of 'Sieben Lieder vom Tod', received the Hans-Werner-Henze-Prize in 2007 from the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe.
Performer Biography
Caroline Melzer, the soprano on this album, has been a permanent member of the Komische Oper Berlin's ensemble since 2007, performing roles like Fiordiligi and Mimì.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album's three song cycles by Schumann, Prokofieff, and Heucke were chosen because they are all composed by men but deal with situations in women's lives.
Composition History
Stefan Heucke's 'Sieben Lieder vom Tod' was premiered in November 2008 in deSingel Antwerp by Caroline Melzer and Anette Fischer-Lichdi.
