Sabine Devieilhe / Song Recital

Thoroughly cosmopolitan, jack-of-all-trades Franz Liszt tirelessly travelled throughout Europe. No wonder his songs are less good as intimate domestic music, but are readily far-reaching – for instance, his ballad »Die Loreley«. In the myth surrounding the famous Rheinfels, the enchanting song of the eponymous female dramatically makes a sailor fall to his death.

The lyrics in Richard Strauss’ »Mädchenblumen« hardly correspond to the modern image of women, but the four character sketches from cornflower to waterlily are always beautiful – and probably just as effortlessly jotted down by the young composer as many of his songs.

Germaine Tailleferre’s songs capture the atmosphere of the giddy 1920s, the French »années folles« (the roaring twenties): her »Six chansons françaises« (Six French Songs) appear bold and fresh, the most well-known collection of songs by the self-confident artist, who also composed operas, concertos, chamber and film music.