Christoph Eschenbach Christoph Eschenbach, a renowned expert on the repertoire of the early 20th century, is planning a performance of orchestral works and songs by Franz Schreker with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin to mark the composer's 145th birthday in 2023.
The upcoming double album will feature, as a special highlight, the "Nachtstück," an instrumental interlude from the opera "Der ferne Klang" (The Distant Sound), which catapulted Schreker to fame overnight. The popular "Valse Lente" in the Viennese style, as well as other orchestral pieces, will also be presented. Eschenbach, together with soprano Chen Reiss and baritone Matthias Goerne, will also explore rarely heard songs from Schreker's oeuvre. These include the song cycle "Fünf Gesänge" (Five Songs) with texts by the Austrian poet Edith Ronsperger, and "Vom ewigen Leben" (Of Eternal Life) based on poems by the American author Walt Whitman. The late-Romantic, richly textured music thus offers glimpses into utopian, distant soundscapes.