Product Review

The start of another Hyperion Lieder series is always cause for celebration. In advance of his bicentenary in 2011, the label turns to a composer whose songs were considered insignificant for well over a century. A regular collaborator with some of Europe's best singers, Liszt used song as a compositional laboratory in which to experiment with 'Zukunftsmusik,' or 'music of the future.' A cosmopolitan artist who traveled prodigiously, he chose song texts written both by great poets and amateurs, the latter often aristocrats from Liszt's glittering social circles. He created songs that changed the very definition of the genre, that are a bridge to such later masters as Wolf and Strauss. This first volume in the series features the American tenor Matthew Polenzani who has been astounding Met opera audiences in recent years. He is accompanied by the curator of the series, Julius Drake.