Album insights
This collection of Strauss songs fills gaps left by the first two volumes and completes the selection spanning from 1882 to 1900, a period of significant musical creations for Strauss before his successful opera, Salome. Surprisingly, many of his significant songs were written early in his career.
Only a handful of these songs are widely known—Heimliche Aufforderung, Freundliche Vision, Ich trage meine Minne, and Ständchen appear frequently in concert programs. Winterweihe, with Strauss’s mature style, is better known than its counterpart Winterliebe. Strauss never orchestrated Anbetung, which challenged singers and pianists to the limits of the song form.
Some of the most intimate compositions like Das Geheimnis and Wozu noch, Mädchen express a tender side unique to Strauss and depict a view of women specific to its time. Listening to these songs expands the understanding of Strauss as a composer and provides context for his well-known works, offering a deeper narrative.
Many listeners are familiar with Strauss songs performed by sopranos due to his affinity for the female voice; however, hearing a tenor sing Ständchen can bring out a different interpretation, shedding light on the song's essence beyond mere showmanship.
Richard Strauss, often positioned alongside Gustav Mahler in the realm of song composers, is sometimes underestimated despite his grant of poetic meaning to texts, echoing the traditions of earlier great composers.