Nachtstück
Valse lente
Kammersymphonie
Vom ewigen Leben (for soprano and orchestra)
Fünf Gesänge (Five Songs for low voice and orchestra)
Kleine Suite
Romantische Suite, Op. 14

Given due reflection, and considering his impressively masterful orchestration skills, Franz Schreker (1878-1934) could easily be compared to other highly respected composers of his generation (i.e. Richard Strauss, Hugo Wolf, Alexander Zemlinsky, Gustav Mahler, etc...) but until recently has remained unjustly overlooked, his scores relegated to archival shelves. The main difference between his writing and the aforementioned composers is that his music never builds to monumental orchestral climaxes like the tone poems of Strauss or the symphonies of Mahler. On the other hand, his genius lies in the minutiae of his orchestral fabric. A myriad of harmonic details, textural colors and instrumental juxtapositions come together to form a compelling whole. In general, his music tends to evoke dreamscapes, fairy tale imagery, surrealistic scenery, etc ... Its allure lies in its subtleties. Schreker never goes for the jugular but his blows still hit their mark.

This 2-Disc comprehensive collection of some of his best output, including lieder and orchestral works, is as good a place to start as any if you are not familiar with this composer. The playing by the Konzerthausorchester Berlin is highly expressive and luxuriates in the details of the orchestration and conductor Christoph Eschenbach's dynamically nuanced readings enhance the music's inner components and hidden beauties. In the booklet notes he explains: "I was utterly fascinated by the Chamber Symphony, which is why I was keen to record it. As a piece, it is laid out along the grandest lines but the writing is extremely subtle, with a lot of different facets to it." And subtleties abound in its final movement which you can hear in the audio clip below.