Credits:

Zimmermann, Bernd Alois (1918-70)

Description:

This remarkable disc features works by Bernd Alois Zimmermann, one of the leading composers of German music after World War II, conducted by the popular conductor Hannu Lintu. It features three works from Zimmermann's middle to late period, whose style changed from time to time. The early violin concerto, featuring the virtuoso Leila Josefowicz as soloist, was written in the neoclassical style. The music is grandiose and full of tension." Photoptosis, in the "staticist" style, is Zimmermann's last orchestral work. And one of Zimmermann's best-known works, the opera "Soldiers," was so difficult that its premiere was once cancelled. Later, Zimmermann made a part of the opera into a 40-minute concert piece, the vocal symphony with "Soldiers" recorded on this album. Although the work remains difficult, it is compact and expresses Zimmermann's complex musical world to the fullest. Naxos Japan