Rheinberger’s predominant use of the strophic form hearkens back to the Second Berlin Lied School around Carl Friedrich Zelter. However, where Schubert or Wolf would have emphasized the dark, despairing aspects of a poem, Rheinberger’s lieder display an almost Haydnesque clarity. Most of the songs recorded on this CD are first recordings.

Rheinberger’s predominant use of the strophic form hearkens back to the Second Berlin Lied School around Carl Friedrich Zelter. However, where Schubert or Wolf would have emphasized the dark, despairing aspects of a poem, Rheinberger’s lieder display an almost Haydnesque clarity. Most of the songs recorded on this CD are first recordings.