Mikko Franck, the conductor, has been Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France since 2015 and is also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF France.
Recording & Production
This album features two versions of Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs: one with orchestra and one with piano, as the soprano Asmik Grigorian was interested in exploring the different colors each version requires.
Composer Biography
Richard Strauss, the composer, believed his influence could protect music from the Nazis, but his role as president of the Reichsmusikkammer in 1933 did not prevent the regime from targeting 'degenerate' composers.
Compositional Technique
In the orchestral version of "Beim Schlafengehen," a tender, cantabile violin solo gives the soprano hope, and the final verse, which the composer found significant, occupies half the song's duration.
Composer Biography
Richard Strauss's father's instrument was the horn, and its sound continued to influence the composer throughout his life, notably appearing in the pianissimo ending of "September."
Notable Performances
The order of the Four Last Songs was changed for their first performance on May 22, 1950, by Kirsten Flagstad, Wilhelm Furtwängler, and the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Composition History
Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs were published posthumously in two versions: one with orchestra and one with piano accompaniment.
Berg: Sieben frühe Lieder (Seven Early Songs); Fünf Orchesterlieder nach Ansichtskartentexten von Peter Altenberg op.4; Jugendlieder (Selection); Zwei Lieder
