Vorspiel zu einem Drama
Four Little Pieces for Full Orchestra
Chamber Symphony for Twenty-Three Solo Instruments

The more I listen to the music of Austrian composer and conductor Franz Schreker (1878-1934), the more convinced I become that he could very well be the poster boy for unjustly overlooked composers. Aside from a handful of recordings of his operas, including Irrelohe which I recommend without reservation (this coming from a guy who's not a big opera fan), his orchestral works have, until the last few years, been unfairly neglected.

As I noted in a previous review of Vol. 1 released in 2021, strongly influenced by the music of Wagner and Richard Strauss, he employed impressive orchestration skills and dramatic flair to write highly compelling and evocative music. And as mentioned before in this Der Ferne Klang review, he could easily be compared to other highly respected composers of his generation (i.e. Richard Strauss, Hugo Wolf, Alexander Zemlinsky, Gustav Mahler, etc...) with the main difference being 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.

You will immediately perceive this when you listen to the short audio clip below of the opening pages of Vorspiel zu einem Drama (Prelude to a Drama). Notice the harps and the distant horns in the background. Like in a multi-layered painting, they act to enhance the full impact of the canvas. The Bochum Symphony Orchestra, considered one of the top concert orchestras in Western Germany, under Steven Sloane's keen ear for details, bring out the efflorescent character of the music as it unfolds. Hopefully, this recording and its previous release, will bring about the overdue recognition Franz Schreker's music clearly deserves.