There have been several discs of Korngold’s Lieder, notably those by Dietrich Henschel, Stephen Kimbrough and Anne Sofie von Otter. Those for whom his music is an acquired taste may not feel the need for another CD, but this new collection is exceptionally well performed and recorded. The mixture of songs in German and English works very well, and having two voices sharing the songs in some groups means that any sense of monotony is avoided.

As in his operas and film scores, one can hear Korngold drawing on different influences – there are a couple of songs that seem like affectionate parodies of Mahler, others in which he is moving away from his Viennese roots and assimilating American and English styles. The Four Shakespeare Songs, Op 31, are particularly engaging, William Dazeley really letting go in “When birds do sing”, and Sarah Connolly bringing all her artistry to bear on Desdemona’s Willow song. Both singers are sometimes stretched to the limits of their resources, especially in Korngold’s songs composed after the disappointing reception accorded to his “gargantuan” opera Das Wunder der Heliane. The first of the Drei Lieder, Op 18, is a setting of a poem by Hans Kaltneker (author of Heliane), “In meine innige Nacht”, which Dazeley sings with great intensity. Korngold’s last song, “Sonnett für Wien” (which gives the disc its title) is another, posthumously published, poem by Kaltneker. In this song, one feels that Korngold was bidding farewell not only to Vienna, the city of his youthful success, but to music and life itself. Iain Burnside plays Korngold’s often fiercely difficult accompaniments with obvious affection and relish. This is a very beautiful disc which I would recommend even to those who think they don’t care for Korngold’s style.