Credits:

Brahms (1833-1897)

Description:

The third collection of Brahms' complete songs is a continuation of the previous collection, featuring his creations based on folk songs, which fascinated Brahms. Brahms was also an enthusiastic composer of German lieder, and wrote some 300 songs during his lifetime, many of which were based on German folk songs. For Brahms, folk songs were not the subject of academic study, but rather a source of inspiration for his music. The "49 German Folksongs" are based on melodies from the "German Folk Songs" compiled by German linguists Anton Wilhelm Zuccarmario and Andreas Kretschmer, with piano accompaniment by Brahms. The first five songs are included in the "Complete Lieder, Vol. 2" (8.574345), and the remaining songs on this CD are the sixth and seventh songs. The sixth and seventh collections are solo and duet pieces, while the seventh collection is a quartet piece that demonstrates the possibilities of vocal ensemble based on folk melodies. The melody of the 49th piece "The Moon Rises Silently" is the theme of the second movement "Theme and Variations" of the Piano Sonata No. 1 (1853), suggesting that he had been fascinated by this melody since his youth. The "Fifteen Folk Songs for Children," with its lovely fourth piece, "Sleeping Spirit," is a collection of songs with an even more rustic flavor. Brahms' clever piano accompaniment adds color to the melodies. Ulrich Eisenlohr supports the singers with excellent performances on a Streicher fortepiano and writes detailed commentaries in the booklet (in English and German). Naxos Japan