Zeisl: Lieder - Weich küsst die Zweige der weiße Mond

'Melody is the heart of music - and you can't construct melodies. They are the essence of a musical gift'. This was the firm belief of Erich Zeisl, who in the 1930s was considered one of the most promising musical talents in Austria. Zeisl mastered the most disparate of musical styles, and although his output was firmly rooted in the Romantic idiom, he permanently pushed its harmonic boundaries. Central to Zeisl's output was the lied, but having been silenced by the Nazis in 1938 he composed no more lieder in exile in America. It is shameful that these works which have such an important place in the history of music and ideas are only now made accessible to a wider public (20 world premiere recordings).

Ulf Bästlein is a Lieder specialist as well as an oratorio singer; he has recorded for many labels including Naxos, Capriccio and Orfeo. His previous release featured to ballads, songs and legends of Martin Plüddemann (8.551460-61)