Hanns Eisler - Couplets; Ballads; Orchestral Suites 2-4; Die Letzte Nacht (HK Gruber)

Information

Composer: Hanns Eisler

CD1

• Balladenbuch, Op. 18: No. 1, Ballade von der Krüppelgarde
• Die weinenden Hohenzollern
• 4 Balladen, Op. 22: Nos. 2 & 4
• Rückkehr zur Natur
• Ideal und Wirklichkeit
• 6 Lieder, Op. 28: No. 6, Stempellied
• 4 Balladen, Op. 41: No. 1, Das Lied vom SA-Mann
• 12 Lieder aus "Schweyk im zweiten Weltkrieg": Nos. 6 & 7
• Die Rundköpfe und die Spitzköpfe, Op. 45: Nos. 9 & 11
• Höllenangst
• Des is a politischer Herr
• O Fallada, da du hangest "Ein Pferd beklagt sich"
• Palmstrom, Op. 5

CD2

• Orchestersuite No. 2, Op. 24 "Niemandsland"
• Orchestersuite No. 3, Op. 26 "Kuhle Wampe"
• Orchestersuite No. 4, Op. 30 "Die Jugend hat das Wort"
• Die letzte Nacht

HK Gruber, chansonnier & conductor

Wolfram Berger, narrator

Marino Formenti & Adolf Henning, piano

Klangforum Wien

Ensemble Die Reihe

Date: 2022

Label: Capriccio

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Review

This double-CD set offers a valuable and absorbing selection of Hanns Eisler’s songs and shorter orchestral works from across his creative life. The earliest piece is Palmström, a song-cycle completed in 1924 following the composer’s studies with Schoenberg. The use of Sprechstimme and a small ensemble follows the model of Pierrot lunaire, although the brevity of the writing – none of the five pieces lasts longer than a minute – also suggests the influence of Webern. By the time of the three Orchestral Suites of the early 1930s, Eisler had put aside the 12-note serialism of his teacher in favour of a more accessible and populist style. Scored primarily for winds and percussion, each of the three suites draws upon music written for films with political themes. Some of the writing can seem dogmatically insistent without the benefit of the original cinematic imagery but the best of the movements are sophisticated and attractive. Particularly memorable are the ‘Capriccio on Jewish Folk Songs’ in the Second Suite with its distinctive use of banjo and saxophone, and the hushed and atmospheric Intermezzo in the Third Suite.

The various songs on the album date from 1930 to 1959 and include both stand-alone settings of lyrics by the likes of Brecht, Gilbert and Tucholsky as well as musical numbers from the Brecht dramas Die Rundköpfe und die Spitzköpfe (‘Roundheads and Cavaliers’) and Schweyk im zweiten Weltkrieg (‘Schweyk in the Second World War’). In addition, four couplets are included from Eisler’s music for a 1948 production of Nestroy’s 19th-century farce Höllenangst (‘Hellish Fear’). The songs explore a number of Eisler’s favourite themes, including social injustice, political oppression, the brutality of war and nostalgia for a lost past. Whether scored for piano or ensemble, the music is approachable but often dark and acerbic, occasionally reminiscent of Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn as well as featuring more modern influences such as jazz. A notable exception is the Ouverture zu einem Lustspiel, a marvellously light and joyous piece. Rounding off the collection is The Last Night, featuring music Eisler composed in 1929 for a presentation of the epilogue of Karl Kraus’s play The Last Days of Mankind. This is the work’s first appearance on record and includes the sections spoken without music.

Deriving from concert performances in Vienna, all the works enjoy excellent performances and recording. Contrasting with the mellifluous delivery of the songs by singers such as Matthias Goerne and Holger Falk, HK Gruber’s style is raspy and theatrical but also deeply responsive and musical, as is his conducting of the two ensembles. Wolfram Berger’s delivery of The Last Night is characterful and moving, and the two pianists provide sensitive accompaniment. Applause is heard after a number of the songs but otherwise the audience is barely noticeable. Capriccio’s documentation is first-class, detailing the provenance of each of the works and including full texts in both German and English. The translations by Jens F Laurson bring a contemporary approach to some of the vernacular and maintain the rhyming style of the original. A highly recommendable release.

— Christian Hoskins

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Hanns Eisler (6 July 1898 – 6 September 1962) was a German-Austrian composer. He studied in Vienna under Arnold Schoenberg, to whom he dedicated his early Piano Sonata. After moving to Berlin in 1925, he wrote for workers' movements and began a long collaboration with Bertolt Brecht. Forced into exile in 1933, he lived across Europe before settling in the United States, where he composed chamber works, film scores and the Hollywood Songbook. Returning to Europe in 1948, he settled in East Berlin, and composed the national anthem of East Germany. The Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin is named after him.

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Heinz Karl Gruber (born 1943 in Vienna) is an Austrian composer, conductor and chansonnier. A former member of the Vienna Boys' Choir, he studied at the Vienna's Hochschule für Musik and performed as a double bassist with leading ensembles, including the Radio Symphonieorchester Wien. He co-founded the MOB ensemble with Kurt Schwertsik and Otto Zykan. Internationally acclaimed, his works, especially concertos and the widely performed Frankenstein!!, are featured by major orchestras and festivals. Gruber is also an active conductor and performer, with an extensive discography and numerous prestigious honors.

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