Description
This new release from DUX Recording Producers features recordings of two unquestioned masterpieces for chamber orchestra. Although the compositions were composed almost half a century apart, they are kept in a similar style; and presented together, they perfectly complement each other.
Composed in 1899 in just three weeks, Verklarte Nacht is considered one of Arnold Schoenberg's most important works, and a landmark work in the development of atonal and expressionist writing. Schoenberg found his inspiration for the piece through the Richard Dehmel poem of the same name.
Metamorphosen holds a special place within Richard Strauss' oeuvre as the only piece composed for string orchestra. Written in 1945 during the final months of the Second World War, Metamorphosen is widely considered to be a representation of mourning for Germany's destruction through the war.
The musicians of the String Chamber Orchestra of the Academy of Music in Poznan, together with the artistic director and concertmaster Marcin Suszycki and conductor Jakub Chrenowicz, offer a subtle interpretation yet characterized by a saturated and expressive sound - both in the tutti parts and in the numerous episodes performed by the solo instruments.