Under this generic title we found a stupendous concert, at musical level as well as on performing, very representative of Korngold's chamber music, mixing wisely two long instrumental pieces together with songs (some of them in their first world recording), and even a final tip in form of a valid arrangement of the most celebrated Korngold opera aria; behind all is the figure of the pianist Bengt Forsberg, one of so many paladins of the still too much unknown music of the Austrian origin composer, accompanied by other Swedish instrumentalists and the singer Anne Sofie Von Otter. The star of the rendezvous is the magnificent Quintett, op.15, premiered in 1923 in the best moment in its author's career, performed with the passion and the force that needs the piece, and preceded by the wonderful cycle Lieder des Abschieds, op.14 whose third song serves as motor (as in Mahler and so many other authors) for the Adagio of the Quintett. This same assimilation appears in the fourth movement of the until recently unknown Suite, op.23 (on its music we already wrote in relation to a previous version), based on the first song of the Drei Lieder, op.22, a triplet of among the best in Korngold in its first world recording. There are also first recordings of two brief songs of his first period (the beautiful Nachts and the very brief Die Geniale), as well as a quartet of brilliant songs on works by Shakespeare, Four Shakespeare Songs, op.31, that together with the also terrific Songs of the Clown, op.29, Korngold incorporated to his music for Max Reinhardt's scenic work Shakespeare's Women, Clowns and Songs in 1939.

Die Geniale (1911) - 0:50
Nachts (1913) - 2:29
Die Tote Stadt, op.12: Mariettas Lied [Arrangement by Bengt Forsberg] (1916-1919) - 5:31
Vier Lieder des Abschieds, op.14 (1920-1921) - 15:44
Quintett für 2 Violinen, Viola, Violoncello und Klavier E-dur, op.15 (1921-1922) - 31:25
Drei Lieder, op.22 (1928-1929) - 7:58
Suite für 2 Violinen, Violoncello und Klavier (linke hand), op.23 (1930) - 36:34
Songs of the Clown, op.29 (1937) - 8:52
Four Shakespeare Songs, op.31 (1937) - 9:52
Anne Sofie Von Otter (Mezzosoprano), Bengt Forsberg (Piano), Kjell Lysell (Violin), Ulf Forsberg (Violin), Nils-Erik Sparf (Viola), Mats Lindström (Violoncello)
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 459631-2 [2CD] / 119'

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