Sämtliche Lieder Vol. 1 Hans Pfitzner - along with Hugo Wolf - is certainly the most important song composer of the late Romantic period. His song oeuvre, which comprises 115 songs, plays an outstanding role in his not exactly extensive oeuvre. All the more astonishing that there has never been a complete recording of these true jewels! When cpo producer Burkhard Schmilgun sat down with music editor Hans Winking of WDR in 1995 to remedy this situation, it was clear to both of them what the goal and responsibility lay before them: to produce a standard-setting, philologically impeccable complete edition with the best possible interpreters. In 1999, just in time for the Pfitzner Year, the result was presented: 5 CDs in chronological order and in the original vocal registers intended by Pfitzner The concept was to let each singer be played by his or her pianist of choice: Julie Kaufmann (soprano) with Donald Sulzen; Christoph Prégardien, tenor with Michael Gees and Andreas Schmidt (baritone) with Rudolf Jansen. On the next CDs, Iris Vermillion and Robert Holl will complete the star ensemble Here for the start Vol. 1 with all youth songs and the songs op. 2 and op. 3 Complete Songs Vol. 2 Volume 2 of our complete recording is dedicated to the early song cycles op. 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10, covering the years from 1888 to 1901. Here, too, it becomes clear what a great song composer Pfitzner was: already in his youthful years, his very own style is pronounced, his longing for the sunken gardens of Romanticism finds its inimitable expression. While at the beginning there are still many Heine settings, in the further course the name of Eichendorff appears more and more often. Pfitzner's nature probably corresponded most to Eichendorff's demoniac nature. Poems such as "The Gardener", "The Lonely One" or "Farewell" (op. 7) have in any case received no more congenial settings Julie Kaufmann, Christoph Pregardien and Andreas Schmidt, with their accompanists Donald Sulzen, Michael Gees and Rudolf Jansen, turn this into a triumph of romantic song Sämtliche Lieder Vol. 3 The third volume of our complete edition of the Pfitzner Lieder comprises operas 11, 15, 18, 19 and 21 from the period 1901-1907. Here Pfitzner is at the absolute height of his song oeuvre: compositions such as "Sehnsucht", "Venus Mater" or the unique setting of Goethe's "An den Mond" op. 18, which Pfitzner later also orchestrated, are unparalleled in their urgency and depth of expression in the late Romantic period Our performers are Julie Kaufmann with Donald Sulzen, lris Vermillion with Axel Baun, Christoph Pregardien with Michael Gees and Andreas Schmidt with Rudolf Jansen Complete Songs Vol. 4 "These are creations with which Pfitzner places himself in the first rank of German song composers," wrote renowned critic Clemens Höslinger in " Klassik heute" (8 / 99) about Vol. 2 of our complete edition of Pfitzner Lieder. And with the songs opp. 22, 24 and the much later opp. 26 and 29, the now published Vol. 4 again offers weighty, partly playful, but also intensive, inwardly directed song creations. The four songs op. 29 of 1921, for example, prove to be very personal, intimate musical "psychograms", each of which is dedicated to a member of the Pfitzner family: his wife Mimi and their three children Paul, Peter and Agnes The Pfitzner star performers Julie Kaufmann with Donald Sulzen, lris Vermillion with Axel Bauni, Christoph Pregardien with Michael Gees and Andreas Schmidt with Rudolf Jansen are joined this time by Robert Holl, who is also accompanied by Robert Jansen Complete Songs Vol. 5 Hardly any of the numerous cpo editions has met with such unanimous international acclaim as our Pfitzner Lied complete recording. It has been unanimously acknowledged that one of the most important song composers of this century has now finally been discographically documented in keeping with his importance The concluding volume 5, opp. 30, 32, 33, 35, 40 and 41, covers the creative years 1922-1931. Here Pfitzner's ageing style becomes increasingly apparent, achieving its inimitable immediacy through serenity and the utmost reduction of musical means Julie Kaufmann with Donald Sulzen, Iris Vermillion with Axel Bauni and Robert Holl with Rudolf Jansen are our interpreter pairs here.