Fünfzehn Gedichte Aus «Das Buch Der Hängenden Gärten» Von Stefan George Op. 15 / Fünf Lieder Nach Gedichten Von Stevan George Op. 4

This release, catalogued as BM 30 SL 1523 on the Musicaphon label, captures a pivotal moment in the Second Viennese School's development by coupling Arnold Schoenberg’s seminal 1908 song cycle, Das Buch der hängenden Gärten, with Anton Webern’s Five Songs, Op. 4. Schoenberg’s cycle, based on the poetry of Stefan George, marked his complete departure from traditional tonality, while Webern’s works reflect his developing mastery of aphoristic structure. The collection serves as an essential archival record of this transition into atonality, documented through the nuanced performances of soprano Carla Henius and pianist Aribert Reimann.

The recording highlights the intellectual rigor shared by the composers and the performers. Carla Henius was a renowned interpreter of contemporary vocal literature, and her collaboration with the esteemed composer and pianist Aribert Reimann provided a definitive reading of these demanding scores. Released as part of Musicaphon’s efforts to document significant 20th-century compositions, the album was received by music historians and academic circles as a vital study in the expressive potential of early atonal vocal music, emphasizing the intimate, claustrophobic emotional landscape envisioned by George’s text and Schoenberg’s revolutionary harmonic language.