This double-CD set offers a valuable and absorbing selection of Hanns Eisler’s songs and shorter orchestral works from across his creative life. The earliest piece is Palmström, a song-cycle completed in 1924 following the composer’s studies with Schoenberg. The use of Sprechstimme and a small ensemble follows the model of Pierrot lunaire, although the brevity of the writing – none of the five pieces lasts longer than a minute – also suggests the influence of Webern. By the time of the three Orchestral Suites of the early 1930s, Eisler had put aside the 12-note serialism of his teacher in favour of a more accessible and populist style. Scored primarily for winds and percussion, each of the three suites draws upon music written for films with political themes. Some of the writing can seem dogmatically insistent without the benefit of the original cinematic imagery but the best of the movements are sophisticated and attractive. Particularly memorable are the ‘Capriccio on Jewish Folk Songs’ in the Second Suite with its distinctive use of banjo and saxophone, and the hushed and atmospheric Intermezzo in the Third Suite.

The various songs on the album date from 1930 to 1959 and include both stand-alone settings of lyrics by the likes of Brecht, Gilbert and Tucholsky as well as musical numbers from the Brecht dramas Die Rundköpfe und die Spitzköpfe (‘Roundheads and Cavaliers’) and Schweyk im zweiten Weltkrieg (‘Schweyk in the Second World War’). In addition, four couplets are included from Eisler’s music for a 1948 production of Nestroy’s 19th-century farce Höllenangst (‘Hellish Fear’). The songs explore a number of Eisler’s favourite themes, including social injustice, political oppression, the brutality of war and nostalgia for a lost past. Whether scored for piano or ensemble, the music is approachable but often dark and acerbic, occasionally reminiscent of Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn as well as featuring more modern influences such as jazz. A notable exception is the Ouverture zu einem Lustspiel, a marvellously light and joyous piece. Rounding off the collection is The Last Night, featuring music Eisler composed in 1929 for a presentation of the epilogue of Karl Kraus’s play The Last Days of Mankind. This is the work’s first appearance on record and includes the sections spoken without music.

Deriving from concert performances in Vienna, all the works enjoy excellent performances and recording. Contrasting with the mellifluous delivery of the songs by singers such as Matthias Goerne and Holger Falk, HK Gruber’s style is raspy and theatrical but also deeply responsive and musical, as is his conducting of the two ensembles. Wolfram Berger’s delivery of The Last Night is characterful and moving, and the two pianists provide sensitive accompaniment. Applause is heard after a number of the songs but otherwise the audience is barely noticeable. Capriccio’s documentation is first-class, detailing the provenance of each of the works and including full texts in both German and English. The translations by Jens F Laurson bring a contemporary approach to some of the vernacular and maintain the rhyming style of the original. A highly recommendable release.