# Hugo Wolf



## Aramis

I'm currently becoming real fan of this elephant.

I never was into classical song before. I know Schubert, but never cared about his lied in general, heard few standards and that's it.

Wolf attracted me much more. Not from the first time but yet. I even got sonets and Roman Elegies by Goethe from library because of him.

I had much problem with getting his songs, but now I have DG set (Fischer-Dieskau/Barenboim) and live recording of Goethe songs with same singer and Richter at piano.





 BE AWARE MORTALZ


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## Sid James

I've got some of his Moricke songs, Spanish songbook & the_ Italian Serenade_. The songs have this other-worldly quality, much less "grounded" than other lieder I've heard. There's alot of darkness there, too (I know he had a troubled life). The _Serenade_, in contrast, is quite light and airy.

I don't know that much about him, but his songs sound innovative and more "modern" when compared with the likes of R. Strauss' songs of the similar period. I think Wolf deserves a bit more attention than he currently gets...


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Along with Schubert, Wolf is THE lieder guy. One of his tricks is to catch some motif to correspond with something going on in the poem; that, and his wonderful intros and postludes.

Fischer-Dieskau is of course great with these, as is Liz Schwarzkopf (both with the great Gerald Moore).

Wolf contracted syphilis (as did Schubert, Chabrier, Delius, and possibly Beethoven [!]).

Syphilis effects different people in different ways: some it kills quickly; others it drives mad; others it troubles not so very much.
Poor Wolf went mad and was institutionalized after standing outside the Vienna Court Opera shouting that he had been appointed its artistic director rather than Mahler.

While in the asylum he wrote no more music, but constantly played the second movement to Beethoven's e-minor Piano Sonata (Op. 90) over and over again...


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## Taneyev

One lovely and unplayed string quartet.


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Gaak! Wolf's Italian Serenade is lovely, but his SQ?
Here paired with good readings of Brahms' SQs by the LaSalle:

http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-String...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271776543&sr=1-1


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## handlebar

No doubt Wolf,Mahler and Strauss are the titans of late 19th century Lieder and all three composer very well for the medium.
Schubert was the most prolific at the genre and although I admire and even love many of them,quite a few were mediocre to me. Give me Wolf and Mahler any day!!

Jim


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## Kieran

I heard Hugo Wolf versions of Michaelangelo poems in London before Christmas and it's absolutely haunted me since then. Seemed to have a very intense and fragmented edge to things, if that makes sense. Fascinating name, fascinating character, immense music!


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## Guest

Kieran said:


> I heard Hugo Wolf versions of Michaelangelo poems in London before Christmas and it's absolutely haunted me since then. Seemed to have a very intense and fragmented edge to things, if that makes sense. Fascinating name, fascinating character, immense music!


Is Wolf's 'bach' worse than his bite? Sorry!

But seriously, have you heard the tenor Ian Bostridge who sings Hugo Wolf? He's had a mixed critical reception.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> Is Wolf's 'bach' worse than his bite? Sorry!


With his syphilitic insanity, I think he would have had(or made) a scary Bach.............


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## Kieran

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> Is Wolf's 'bach' worse than his bite? Sorry!
> 
> But seriously, have you heard the tenor Ian Bostridge who sings Hugo Wolf? He's had a mixed critical reception.


Hey CA!

I haven't. I heard them in the National Gallery in London before Christmas, and I now have a cd of Lieder, including some Spanish ones, it seems, featuring Elizabeth Scharwzkopf and Gerald Moore, and the Goethe poems sung by Wolfgang Holzman... :tiphat:


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## Blake

Funny how little comments this gets. Maybe not so many fans of art songs?


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## Cheyenne

Let's change that! Can anybody recommend me a recording(s) of Wolf's Goethe lieder?


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## Blake

Cheyenne said:


> Let's change that! Can anybody recommend me a recording(s) of Wolf's Goethe lieder?


Dieskau and Richter - http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=17380


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## StlukesguildOhio

Maybe not so many fans of art songs?

And yet they feel fully confident in making a list of the greatest art songs/art song cycles... to aid those less experienced.


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## Blake

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Maybe not so many fans of art songs?
> 
> And yet they feel fully confident in making a list of the greatest art songs/art song cycles... to aid those less experienced.


Maybe this is new to you, but a question mark normally signifies that the initiating statement expounds a question. 
:tiphat:

Or wait... was that statement towards me or towards the elusive fans? I'd like to be sure before I commit to my smart-*** remark.


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## Pugg

_Hugo Philipp Jacob Wolf_ (*13 March 1860 *- 22 February 1903) was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, somewhat related to that of the Second Viennese School .


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## jenspen

There was an appreciative thread on Wolf a while back:

Do you like Hugo Wolf?

As to the query about recordings of Wolf's Goethe Lieder, I love Fischer-Dieskau and the *early *Schwarzkopf (when her voice was young and fresh) best.

I have a CD of Schwarzkopf's 1958 Salzburg Festival recital of Wolf Lieder - EMI classics CDH 7 74905 2. 
It includes 8 Goethe Lieder. Also a CD which includes a 1962 Concertgebouw Concert and a 1957 recital for Netherlands Radio. Verona 27021. There is always YouTube, where you can here her thrilling

"Kennst du das Land" 




and

"Anakreons Grab". 




There are numbers Goethe Lieder by the young Fisher-Dieskau on EMI Classics 7 CD Hugo Wolf collection. Here's a sample:

"Der Rattenfanger"


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