Carolyn Sampson, the soprano soloist, was awarded an OBE, elected an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music, and won the Gramophone Artist of the Year Award in 2024.
Composer Biography
Gál studied intensively with Eusebius Mandyczewski, a close friend of Johannes Brahms, and later collaborated with him on publishing Brahms' complete works.
Composition History
Gál composed Nachtmusik, Op. 44, in 1933 while taking refuge in the Black Forest, finding comfort in the nightingale's song as a symbol of transcendence over darkness.
Historical Context
In March 1933, Gál, being of Jewish descent, was dismissed from his directorship in Mainz and his music banned in Nazi Germany.
Composer Biography
Hans Gál, the composer, had little formal early musical education beyond 'some wretched class singing' but accumulated musical impressions from age seven.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gál believed that a revival of a cappella singing and vocal chamber music was essential for contemporary music, drawing inspiration from 16th-century madrigals.
Recording & Production
This album is the third in a series comprising the complete 'Music for Voices' by Austrian-Jewish émigré composer Hans Gál, performed by the professional chamber choir Borealis.
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