Schoenberg and Berio

Our recording of Berio's Folk Songs and Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire is out on Neos.  Those of you who know me will be aware that one thing that keeps me from blogging is staying too long in pubs shouting about the lack of concept or argument in some parts of the music world, but fortunately that isn't the case here.  Buy the CD for the whole thing, but here's a brief extract from Konstantia Gourzi's introduction:

"Both compositions on this CD have occupied my thoughts for many years.  I think that without these pieces the literature of music would lack something essential.  Luciano Berio's Folk Songs embodies for me a musical antithesis and counterbalance to Schoenberg's music.  Between these two artists exists a highly vivid musical arc of tension:  Pierrot Lunaire is the question and Folk Songs is the reply."

Other interesting parts of the concept include jazz interludes in Pierrot Lunaire (although there's no harp in that).