Schoenberg's 'Four Songs', op. 2, show early signs of his determination to move away from tonality, though he would not fully embrace twelve-note composition until after 1908.
Album & Artwork
The album's program features songs by Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg, composed in their twenties, framed by three groups of Richard Strauss's songs, like 'bouquets of flowers'.
Composition History
Richard Strauss's 'Mädchenblumen' cycle, op. 22, used texts by Felix Dahn, which Strauss considered 'experiments' and was unsure if his publisher would accept them.
Composer Biography
The earliest Richard Strauss song on this album, 'Ein Röslein zog ich mir im Garten', was written in 1878 when he was just 14 years old.
Composer Biography
Richard Strauss's song 'Malven', featured on this album, was composed in November 1948, making it his 'last word' in song, written just months before his death at 84.
Composition History
Arnold Schoenberg dedicated his 'Four Songs', op. 2, to his friend and mentor Alexander von Zemlinsky, whose sister Schoenberg married in 1901.
Performer Biography
Soprano Hanna-Elisabeth Müller had her international breakthrough in 2014 with her debut as Zdenka in Strauss's 'Arabella' at the Salzburg Easter Festival.
