Joseph Marx - Lieder (Andrea Kirchschlager; Anthony Spiri)

Information

Composer: Joseph Marx

1. Liebe
2. Wofür
3. Am Fenster
4. Die Begegnung
5. Die Liebste spricht
6. Am Brunnen
7. Wie reizend bist du
8. Sendung
9. Die Verlassene
10. Es  zürnt das Meer
11. Die tote Braut
12. Verklärtes Jahr: 1. Ein Abschied
13. Verklärtes Jahr: 2. Dezember
14. Verklärtes Jahr: 3. Lieder
15. Verklärtes Jahr: 4. In meiner Träume Heimat
16. Verklärtes Jahr: 5. Auf der Campagna
17. Ein junger Dichter denkt an seine Geliebte
18. Selighe Nacht
19. Schlafend trägt man mich in mein Heimatland
20. Der Rauch
21. Lob des Frühlings
22. Regen
23. Vergessen
24. Hat dich die Liebe berührt

Andrea Kirchschlager, mezzo-soprano

Anthony Spiri, piano

Date: 2010

Label: CPO

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Review

The music of Austrian composer Joseph Marx (1882-1964) largely fell out of public favor very early in his career, after the First World War, but he continued to compose in the same lushly late-Romantic idiom throughout his long life. A significant part of his work consists of songs and because of that and because of their shared interest in some of the same poets, he is sometimes compared with Hugo Wolf, over 20 years his senior, but his music is closer to the harmonic conservatism of his friend Erich Wolfgang Korngold, whose European career also went into eclipse in the wake of the war. The songs recorded here, written between 1907 and 1932, show little stylistic development, and all have the characteristics of typical fin de siècle lieder: ingratiatingly warm harmonies, generously lyrical vocal writing, and sensitive text setting. Marx's Germanic Romanticism is flavored with impressionism and some of the harmonic freedom of Scriabin, but his voice is not particularly distinctive. Fans of late-Romantic and post-Romantic lieder are likely to find them immensely appealing, though. The songs are varied in mood and tone, his accompaniments are inventive and evocative, and his shapely vocal lines give singers plenty of opportunity to shine. Mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirchschlager's voice is beautifully suited to this repertoire. She has an almost soprano-like brightness, she can soar gracefully through the songs, and she brings a broad expressive range to the music. The warmth and clarity of her voice are especially evident in songs like Am Fenster, Sendung, Selige Nacht, and Schlafend trägt man mich in mein Heimatland, a little jewel of a song. Anthony Spiri provides a flexible and beautifully shaded accompaniment, making the most of Marx's idiomatic piano writing. CPO's sound is clean and nicely balanced.

— Stephen Eddins

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Joseph Marx (11 May 1882 – 3 September 1964) was an Austrian composer, teacher and critic. Educated at the University of Graz, he earned a doctorate in 1909 with a study of tonality that introduced the term "atonality". Beginning his compositional career in 1908, he wrote extensively, producing more than 150 lieder, for which he is chiefly remembered, alongside orchestral and chamber works. A longtime faculty member and later rector of the Vienna Music Academy, he influenced numerous students. He was also active as a music critic in Vienna, writing about aesthetics and musical philosophy.

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Angelika Kirchschlager (born 24 November 1965 in Salzburg) is an Austrian mezzo-soprano. She studied percussion and piano at the Mozarteum in Salzburg before continuing vocal studies at the Vienna Music Academy. After early engagements at Wiener Kammeroper and Graz Opera, she joined the Vienna State Opera in 1993. Kirchschlager gained international recognition through major opera roles, festival appearances, and collaborations with artists such as Helmut Deutsch. In 2024, she announced her retirement from the stage to focus on teaching at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts.

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Anthony Spiri (born 1955) is an American pianist. After studying in Cleveland and Boston, he continued his training in Europe and graduated from the Mozarteum University Salzburg. Influential teachers included Rudolf Firkušný and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Spiri has premiered works by composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina and Wolfgang Rihm, and performed with leading singers, instrumentalists and orchestras. His recordings cover major composers, particularly the Bach family. In addition to performing, he researches early music traditions and has been professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln since 2001.

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