Of particular importance to Eisler was the principle of synthesis, working with a variety of musical aesthetics, and merging them to an autonomous whole… albeit always with an eye to also wanting to “change the world” with his music. The October Revolution of 1917 and the assumption of power by the Bolsheviks in Russia shaped young Hanns Eisler already for the rest of his life. Later on, in the 1930s after all, there was no topic that preoccupied him more, during the years of exile, than the sustained protest against National Socialism. Eisler wanted to make a musical stance against Fascism with his Opus 50; he wanted to show – together with his collaborating librettist Brecht – that there was not just a Germany Nazis but another, better Germany… driven into Exile or interned in concentration camps. The Deutsche Sinfonie is arguably Eisler's most important composition; she is unique in its ingenious combination of symphony, cantata, and oratorio.

REVIEWS:

The performance here crackles with atmosphere.

-- BBC Music Magazine

This performance is an old one, dating from 1989. I don’t think it has been issued previously, but it was worth digging up from the vaults as it is very good and the work is not often performed or recorded. Capriccio have issued a number of other recordings of Eisler so this must have been an informed choice. The conductor Günther Theuring was not a household name but specialised in works of this kind and leads an assured performance. Of the soloists I particularly liked the mezzo-soprano Hanna Fahlbusch-Wald but the others are all competent. The chorus was enthusiastic and precise, the orchestral playing very secure.

-- MusicWeb International