WEBERN:Lieder [CD de audio] Christiane Oelze, Eric Schneider and Webern

Christiane Oelze soprano and Eric Schneider pianist in a highly praised survey of Lieder de Weberns, initially released in 1995. Forty songs on a generous 76-minute CD. Anton Webern's first composition was the song Vorfrühling, composed on his 16th birthday in 1899. Not surprisingly, it was very much in the style of the Lieder of Schubert and Schumann, with nods to Wolf and Strauss. However, there is a certain control and economy that manages to convey powerful emotional content, something that would become a hallmark of his later style. Studying with Schoenberg and adopting his 12-tone technique allowed Webern to use his sparse textures and ability to fit words to greater effect. Here one can trace Webern's progress from Schubert's earliest effort, to the songs that barely cling to tonality (the mysterious nocturnal fantasies of the Dehmel cycle) with their subtle, intense atmosphere evoking Wagner's Tristan, to the transparent textures of the latest works with their allusions to ländler and Bach. Oelze offers a revealing and light-filled journey through Webern's songs. Performance * * * * Recording * * * * -- BBC Music Magazine, Apr '12