Search - Frank Martin, Lothar Zagrosek, Vienna Austrian Radio Orchestra & Chorus :: Frank Martin: Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets (Vienna Austrian Radio Orchestra & Chorus)

Der Cornet is a magnificent song cycle for alto solo and chamber orchestra to a text by Rainer Maria Rilke. The full title of the poem is The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke, and Martin arranged it as a series of 23 songs that trace the life of the protagonist through his military career, his brief experience with peace and love, and ultimately his death in battle. The piece is not performed very often simply because of the difficulty in finding an alto who can sing it. Marijana Lipovsek certainly threw down the gauntlet at the beginning of her career with this recording, for it's a sensational performance in every respect. The music is uncompromisingly austere--the focus remains squarely on the voice throughout, and Lipovsek's concentration doesn't falter for a second. One of the great records of singing. --David Hurwitz