The internationally acclaimed baritone Hermann Prey was born in Berlin in 1929. He made his breakthrough in 1956 as Figaro in the Vienna State Opera’s production of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”. He has since performed at all of the world’s great opera houses and festivals. Hermann Prey has always loved lieder, especially the works of Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann. In spite of his many engagements on the opera stage or in the concert hall, in the TV and recordings studios, Hermann Prey always takes the time to pass his knowledge and experience on to younger generations by giving master classes in lied singing all over the world.
Strauss, Lieder
The internationally acclaimed baritone Hermann Prey was born in Berlin in 1929. He made his breakthrough in 1956 as Figaro in the Vienna State Opera’s production of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”. He has since Hermann performed at all of the world’s great opera houses and festivals. Hermann Prey has always loved lieder, especially the works of Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann. In spite of his many engagements on the opera stage or in the concert hall, in the TV and recordings studios, Hermann Prey always takes the time to pass his knowledge and experience on to younger generations by giving master classes in lied singing all over the world. In this selection of Strauss songs, Hermann Prey spans a broad arch from Strauss’s extensive romantic repertoire – for he also set to music poems by Heinrich heine – to his early modern works. Accompanying him is the renowned pianist Oleg Maisenberg.
Schubert, Schwanengesang (Swan Song), D.957. Lieder Cycle based on poems by J.G. Seidl, H. Heine and L. Rellstab
The internationally acclaimed baritone Hermann Prey was born in Berlin in 1929. He made his breakthrough in 1956 as Figaro in the Vienna State Opera’s production of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”. He has since performed at all of the world’s great opera houses and festivals. Hermann Prey has always loved lieder, especially the works of Franz Schubert. This inspired him to found the Schubertiade, a festival in Hohenems, Austria, entirely devoted to this composer’s works. He also established the New York Schubertiade in 1988. Hermann Prey and his accompanist Leonard Hokanson plumb the lyrical depths and heights of Schubert’s “Schwangengesang” with unequalled mastery.
Mozart, Laudate Dominum, K. 339
The “Laudate Dominum” is part of the “Vesperae solennes de confessore” K. 339, written in Salzburg in 1780. The strikingly sensual beauty of the long soprano cantilena, highlighted by the filigree of the violin melody and supported by the rich bassoon tone, has undoubtedly been responsible for the enormous popularity this work has always enjoyed. The Vienna State Opera Chorus’s All Saints’ Day concert has become an institution in Vienna. Although the superbly homogeneous and subtly shading chorus plays the most important role throughout this concert, the orchestra also unfolds its warm and colorful and, at times, forceful personality. The concert in which this work was recorded took place on All Saints’ Day 1986 under the musical direction of Claudio Abbado. The soloist here is the Finnish soprano Karita Mattila, whose “splendid timbre” was singled out by the reviewer of Vienna’s leading daily “Die Presse.”
Mozart, Aria of the Angel from “Funeral Music”, K. 42
The “Grabmusik” (Funeral Music) K. 42 was composed in 1767, when Mozart was 11 years old. Its style reflects the Italian influence predominant in church music at that time. The Vienna State Opera Chorus’s All Saints’ Day concert has become an institution in Vienna. Although the superbly homogeneous and subtly shading chorus plays the most important role throughout this concert, the orchestra also unfolds its warm and colorful and, at times, forceful personality. The concert in which this work was recorded took place on All Saints’ Day 1986 under the musical direction of Claudio Abbado. The soloist here is the Finnish soprano Karita Mattila, whose “splendid timbre” was singled out by the reviewer of Vienna’s leading daily “Die Presse.”
Mozart, Kyrie in D minor, K.341
The Vienna State Opera Chorus’s All Saints’ Day concert has become an institution in Vienna. Although the superbly homogeneous and subtly shading chorus plays the most important role throughout this concert, the orchestra also unfolds its warm and colorful and, at times, forceful personality. The concert in which this work was recorded took place on All Saints’ Day 1986 under the musical direction of Claudio Abbado. Mozart’s Kyrie in D minor K. 341 is a monumental torso written most likely in Vienna in 1788. It dispenses with all traditional restrictions and conventions of church music; for example, it contains no solo vocal parts, includes clarinets and four horns for the first time in Mozart’s sacred music, and prefigures the tragic solemnity of the Requiem with the use of the same key of D minor.
Beethoven, Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major, op.73 “Emperor”
Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto, his longest and most forceful, was composed in 1809. The opening movement immediately proclaims the concerto’s air of command, with its unexpected beginning by the soloist alone. This very long first movement is followed by a compressed, intense second movement. Over a sustained, expectant low note held by the horns at the very end of the movement, the piano begins to build a theme which turns out to be the choppy, powerful rondo theme of the third movement. This work represents a synthesis of all the contrary forces at work in Beethoven’s oeuvre. Though it is often called the “Emperor” in English-language music literature, Beethoven did not call it thus. The work was premiered in Leipzig on 28 November 1811. Soloist Maurizio Pollini is one of the most distinguished pianists of our time, who has performed with the world’s leading orchestras. A committed advocate of contemporary music, Pollini frequently performs works by Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Nono, Boulez and Stockhausen. However, he has also given complete cycles of the Beethoven sonatas in Berlin, Milan, New York, Munich and other cities. On the occasion of a performance of the Beethoven concertos at New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra presented him with its “golden ring”, a rare distinction awarded to only few musicians.
Schubert, Die schöne Müllerin (The Beautiful Maid of the Mill), D.795 Lieder Cycle based on poems by Wilhelm Müller
The internationally acclaimed baritone Hermann Prey was born in Berlin in 1929. He made his breakthrough in 1956 as Figaro in the Vienna State Opera’s production of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”. He has since performed at all of the world’s great opera houses and festivals. Hermann Prey has always loved lieder, especially the works of Franz Schubert. This inspired him to found the Schubertiade, a festival in Hohenems, Austria, entirely devoted to this composer’s works. He also established the New York Schubertiade in 1988.
Schubert, Die Winterreise (The Winter Journey) D.911, op.89. Lieder Cycle based on poems by Wilhelm Müller
The internationally acclaimed baritone Hermann Prey was born in Berlin in 1929. He made his breakthrough in 1956 as Figaro in the Vienna State Opera’s production of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”. He has since performe at all of the world’s great opera houses and festivals. Hermann Prey has always loved lieder, especially the works of Franz Schubert. This inspired him to found the Schubertiade, a festival in Hohenems, Austria, entirely devoted to this composer’s works. He also established the New York Schubertiade in 1988.
Bach, Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio) BWV 248
Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, Nikolaus Harnoncourt founded the “Concentus Musicus Wien” in 1953. It has since become one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments or faithful reproductions. With its opulent decor and gilt ornamentation, the Austrian Baroque church of Waldhausen provides a setting evocative of Bach’s times. An added highlight of the program is the retelling of the Nativity story with the magnificent carved figures of two master wood-carvers of the Baroque period from Upper Austria. Also heard on the recording are the distinguished tenor Peter Schreier, bass Robert Holl and the Tölzer Boys’ Choir.