Seven Songs

Aribert Reimann’s idea to arrange the lieder of Franz Liszt for baritone and string quartet goes back to his collaboration with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, recording some of these lieder for the German broadcasting company formerly known as Sender Freies Berlin (SFB). Since then, Reimann has continued to be fascinated by Liszt’s thrilling harmony and unconventional treatment of the voice. Here, he has compiled a cycle containing seven lieder from Liszt’s middle and late periods, arranged so that each song is the logical continuation of its predecessor. Liszt’s fundamental harmony has been retained, but the registers have been altered to such an extent that they appear in a completely new light.