Search - Robert Stolz, Shelly Katz, Dagmar Schellenberger :: Robert Stolz: Blumenlieder

Written between December 1927 and April 1928, this cycle of 20 songs is quite unlike anything usually associated with Robert Stolz. In a direct line from the Viennese art songs of such composers as Schubert, it more than stands the comparison. It is a gem. Stolz wrote the Flower Songs following the collapse of a theatrical venture. He had bought a theater in Vienna to showcase his third wife's talents, but the show folded, she ran off with one of the actors, and he was declared bankrupt. Seeking refuge in Berlin, he slaved to pay off his debts by writing songs, cabaret numbers, operettas, and film scores. As light relief, he decided to set to music some poems by Bruno Hardt-Warden, the librettist of his only opera, The Rose of the Madonna. Each poem is devoted to a specific flower. Some are atmospheric, some tell stories, and Stolz brilliantly captures the mood of each. The cycle is given a stylish performance by German soprano Dagmar Schellenberger and Canadian pianist Shelley Katz. Four bonus tracks include two charming Christmas songs and the Ave Maria Stolz wrote at the prompting of Toscanini. Why this music is not better known is a mystery. This CD should put that right. --Richard Fawkes