Brahms’ Complete Songs • 4

‘Discovering Johannes Brahms as a young man marked the inception of his illustrious career as a composer. His early compositions, such as his first Lieder, resonated with a delightful blend of joy, freshness and light. While some of these early works may exude a certain naivety in both expression and execution, they consistently bear a deeply personal and direct quality. The sheer delight I found in exploring this early phase of Brahms’ work was immeasurable.’

Ulrich Eisenlohr


Johannes BRAHMS (1833–1897)
Complete Songs, Vol. 4
Opp. 6, 14, 19 and 48

Alina Wunderlin, Soprano
Kieran Carrel, Tenor
Ulrich Eisenlohr, Piano

Brahms’ early songs express an exuberance that may surprise those who are unfamiliar with this element of his music making. The Op. 6 set includes a Mediterranean⁠-⁠flavoured song in bolero rhythm and songs of hope and joy, displaying an apparent simplicity that was hard⁠-⁠won and the product of constant refinement. Based on folk songs, the Op. 14 collection is astonishingly varied, ranging from folk melodies to medieval harmonies and Baroque⁠-⁠styled richness. Elsewhere Brahms charts more melodious, elegiac settings in the Op. 19 set and confronts melancholy and loss in Op. 48.

Listen to an extract from 8 Lieder und Romanzen, Op. 14:
No. 3 Murrays Ermordung
FEB 2024
8.574490
Artists featured in the series
Previous releases in the series
8.574268
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★
★★★★
‘Pregardien’s warm and sweet sound, his pristine diction, and his sensitive shaping of phrases make this an album to savor.’
American Record Guide
8.574345
Complete Songs, Vol. 2
Deutsche Volkslieder, WoO 33: Books 1–5

Wunderlin • Valentin-Fieguth • Carrel • Ingenpaß
Eisenlohr
‘Eisenlohr … demonstrates his excellence as a lieder collaborator. His care with details holds your attention as he distills the variety Brahms creates for each strophe, subtly altering the tone or mood of each, often with ingenious harmonizations.’
American Record Guide
8.574346
Complete Songs, Vol. 3
Deutsche Volkslieder, WoO 33: Books 6–7
Volkskinderlieder, WoO 31

Wunderlin • Valentin-Fieguth • Carrel • Ingenpaß
Eisenlohr
‘[T]his is wonderful. The singers are superbly chosen and perfect for this repertoire. Eisenlohr does not put a finger wrong (he provides the fine booklet notes, too), and the recording is good.’
Classical Explorer


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