@ the bindery
„Music is music, whether it is for the stage, the conductor’s podium or the cinema. The form may change, the way it is notated may differ, but the composer must make no concessions whatsoever to what he believes to be his own musical convictions.“ – Erich Wolfgang Korngold
If anyone knows about different forms of music, it is Erich Wolfgang Korngold. His musical curriculum vitae can be described as modern in its time, almost unconventional. He wrote stage and orchestral works, songs and symphonies as well as film music. A balancing act between Europe and Hollywood, between two musical worlds. Always with the principle: music is music.
Korngold’s six simple songs for one voice and piano, op. 9, were written between 1911 and 1916; he was only 14 years old when he began composing them. Nothing unusual for Korngold: already in his childhood he was called „the little Mozart“ because of the high quality and originality of his youthful works. And indeed, there is truly nothing of youthful immaturity or insecurity in his songs. Thus the fourth song „Liebesbriefchen“ is such a tender confession of love, a promise of deepest loyalty. Musically informal and natural, but at no time banal. This is exactly what fascinates the musicians Valerie Eickhoff (mezzo-soprano) and Benjamin Mead (piano): the ability to express such intimate and honest emotions in a simple way. Music is music – of course – but to realize one’s own musical conviction so skillfully and authentically is an art.
Recorded live at the bindery „Mergemeier“ in Duesseldorf, Germany.
