A contemporary of Mahler and Strauss, Wilhelm Kienzl also composed
Lieder, and his efforts reflect other directions for the genre
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Like Mahler
and Strauss, Kienzl retained a tonal center in his music, with
chromatic inflections that identify his efforts as responses
to the idiom influenced by Richard Wagner. Likewise, the melodic
structures can be, at times, angular, but never without references
to a conventional line. As a result, the Lieder are certainly
typical of a composer working in the Austro-German tradition,
with a number of songs that are effective, if not memorable
among over 200 pieces in this genre.
While Mahler composed settings from a limited number of sources,
Kienzl resembles Strauss with regard to a wider and more eclectic
taste for poetry. Even in this first disc of a comprehensive
edition of recorded Lieder, the poets include the medieval figure
Walther von der Vogelweide and later figures like Heinrich Heine,
Lenau, and Goethe, along with nineteenth-century figures whose
names are no longer familiar. In addition to German poets, Kienzl
set translations of folk poetry, including some ascribed to
Roumanian and Serbian traditions.
This first volume includes much of the early Lieder of Kienzl,
and offers a sense of his efforts through the turn of the nineteenth
century into the twentieth. Some of the settings reveal solid
craftsmanship, as with “Es tönt ein voller Harfenklang”
(here sung by Jochen Kupfer), while others are more adventurous,
like “Die verschweigene Nachtigall” (here sung by
Christiane Libor). The conventional texts, like the song Goethe
placed in Auerbach’s cellar, receive individual treatment
in Kienzl’s hands, which benefits here from the accompaniment
of Stacey Bartsch. These are just three of the twenty-four songs
included in the Chandos recording, and which serve as a fine
introduction to Kienzl’s work.
While it may be that individual listeners will find specific
settings attractive for different reasons, this CD benefits
from the inclusion of three singers, Christiane Libor (soprano),
Carsten Süss (tenor), and Jochen Kupfer (baritone), who
share the repertoire so that the ranges and vocal timbres fit
the songs well. Not only the songs lend themselves well to performances
to individuals of one gender, the tone and tessitura is also
a consideration that is addressed through the involvement of
these three fine performers. At the same time, it is indeed
useful to have a single pianist to convey a sense of continuity,
and Stacey Bartsch contributes such an aesthetic throughout.
The presentation itself is admirable for its inclusion of a
70-page booklet, which offers an introductory essay in German,
French, and English, along with the texts and translations of
all the songs in the same languages. In addition to the photos
of the performers, it is useful to have archival images of Kienzl
at various times in his career. As serious as this volume is
in making Kienzl’s music known to a broad audience, the
image of the performances en ensemble superimposed with
Kienzl’s bust speaks of a sense of humor that fits the
tone of some of the songs. Modern audiences should be delighted
by these engaging performances.
While studies of Lieder, like the classic one by Edward Kravitt,
point to the extensive repertoire available in the nineteenth
century, concerted efforts to explore the oeuvre of specific
composers, like Kienzl, are rare. The result here is a contribution
that expands the perception of Lieder at the time when Strauss
and Mahler were composing music that was then new and has since
become part of the established repertoire. The once popular
composer Kienzl may now move from the list of composers whose
efforts were once heard more often to someone whose music can
benefit from revived interest as found here in this exemplary
effort by Chandos.
James L. Zychowicz
Track listing
1. Es tönt ein voller Harfenklang [3:30]
2. Lenz! [1:14]
3. Hochzeitzlied [1:04]
4. Die verscheigen Nachtigall [2:30]
5. Die blauen Husaren [1:14]
6. Wehmut [2:44]
7. Im Glücke [2:27]
8. Gesunden, Op. 18: no 8 [3:13]
9. Deingedenken, Op. 18: no 5 [3:30]
10. Traumesahnung [1:57]
11. Triftiger Grund [1:46]
12. Sehnsucht nach Vergessen [3:44]
13. Mephistopleles’ Lied in Auerbachs Keller [1:52]
14. Der Leiermann [2:31]
15. Röslein und Schmetterling [1:51]
16. Der Kuss [1:18]
17. Romanze [2:29]
18. Der Tambourinspieler [2:00]
19. Die Urgroßmutter [2:23]
20. Jung Werners Lied [2:52]
21. An die Nacht [5:12]
22. Augenblicke, Op. 55, no 2 [5:13]
23. Abendlied, Op. 55, no 6 [2:41]
24. Asphodelen [3:50]
25. Letzte Reise [3:59]
Christiane Libor (soprano) 
