The Italienisches Liederbuch is a collection of 46 songs set to German translations by Paul Heyse of anonymous Italian love poems and folk songs.
Recording & Production
This album is a live recording from February 18, 2018, at the Alfried Krupp Saal, Philharmonie Essen, Germany, a venue known for its outstanding acoustics.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Wolf believed that despite their Italian inspiration, the songs of the Italienisches Liederbuch had a 'German heartbeat', even if the sun shone 'in Italian'.
Interpretation
The composer, Hugo Wolf, did not specify the order of the songs in the Italienisches Liederbuch, allowing performers like Diana Damrau and Jonas Kaufmann to rearrange them.
Composer Biography
Hugo Wolf, the composer, considered his Italienisches Liederbuch ('Italian Songbook') to be 'the most original and artistically perfect of all my works'.
Composition History
The Italienisches Liederbuch was composed in two main periods: the first 22 songs in 1890-1891, and the final 24 songs in a 'feverish burst of energy' in 1896.
Compositional Technique
The songs in the Italienisches Liederbuch are highly concentrated, often revolving around a single thought, and many feature a delicate harmony and texture unique in Wolf's output.
