Richard Strauss's Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs) were inspired by a chance encounter with poems by Joseph von Eichendorff and Hermann Hesse in 1945, after he had emigrated to Switzerland.
Composer Biography
Alban Berg, a Viennese composer and member of the Second Viennese School, initially gravitated more towards literature than music before studying with Arnold Schoenberg.
Composition History
Arnold Schoenberg, a Viennese expressionist composer, set poems by Richard Dehmel for his Vier Lieder, Op. 2, following Richard Strauss's lead in setting the same texts.
Recording & Production
This album, titled 'Longing', is the first recital album from soprano Lucy Crowe and pianist Anna Tilbrook, celebrating their 20-year working partnership.
Compositional Technique
In the final song of his Vier letzte Lieder, 'Im Abendrot', Richard Strauss references his own earlier work, Tod und Verklärung, to underscore the poignant final words: "Is this perhaps - Death?"
Composer Biography
Richard Strauss, a prolific composer of lieder with over 200 works, is considered one of the most important figures in the genre after Schubert and Schumann.
Recording & Production
Parts of this album were recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when "the world was silent," which added poignancy to the recording process.
