Reznicek: Schlemihl & Raskolnikoff

Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek (1860-1945) is still known to some music connoisseurs as the composer of Donna Diana. Apart from the overture, no one knows the work itself (though cpo will soon remedy this!), but at least it has preserved the name of its creator for posterity. With the production of his most important works, cpo will give this highly esteemed contemporary of Strauss and Mahler a new chance of reception in the coming years. In any case, our release of his opera "Ritter Blaubart" (CD......) has already caused great and positive surprise. This month we are releasing one of Reznicek's major symphonic works: the great tone poem "Schlemihl" - Reznicek gives it the subtitle "symphonic portrait of life" - from 1912. Like the tone poems of Richard Strauss, it is one of the great musical confessional works of the penultimate turn of the century, a "counter-heroic life": "Years ago, when I was struck by severe grief in my family and my little ship of life threatened to founder, I resolved to set down all my hardships and pains in a kind of self-confession. This is how the Schlemihl came into being", Reznicek wrote about this work. Mikhail Jurowski and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne present a brilliant first recording of this orchestral tour de force together with the Fantasy Overture "Raskolnikoff". A discovery of the first order!