Search - Eisler, Holzmair, Stamm :: Hollywood Songbook

A tribute to Eisler, Communism and Holzmair

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 09/01/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I think this is one of Wolfgang Holzmair's very best performances on CD. He portrays the angst and bitterness of these songs with an exquisite tone and projection rare for him. The recording is very good and everything is delivered in a clear, balanced format.



Unfortunately, this CD is out of print and probably won't be coming back soon. A Communist expatriate who wrote these songs of alienation and loss while in Hollywood, Eisler's songs of capitalist betrayal and decadence are today most well-known to listeners through the outstanding CD by another burgeoning German singer, Matthias Goerne.



His CD was received with wide open arms all over the world when it was released five years ago or so. It won a lot of awards including a vocal CD award from Gramophone magazine. Critics gushed over his voice and interpretation of the songs.



I don't disagree with any of that. All I have to say is, in my opinion, the version by Wolfgang Holzmair is better than Goerne's. To me Holzmair better projects the affect of alienation in the music. His recital seems more alive to me. In addition, I prefer the notes to this issue and the layout over the Goerne CD.



If you have an interest in lieder, European-American history and the difference in the way people viewed Communism and capitalism in mid-20th Century, you might be interested in these songs. For now, you'd have to get Goerne's unless this one is available used or comes back into print."