Einem: Philadelphia Symphonie, Geistliche Sonate & Stundenlied (Live)

Modern music isn’t always easy on the ear, but Gottfried von Einem (1918-96) managed to be one of Austria’s foremost modern composers through works that were defiantly approachable. He was a radical conservative—and this recording tells you how, in an attractive summary of his orchestral, instrumental, and choral styles. His Philadelphia Symphonie starts out neoclassical, slips into jazz, and is provocatively in C Major. The Geistliche Sonate is a lean neoclassical work for accompanied voice. And Das Stundenlied is an oratorio-like Easter Passion, starkly set to words by Bertolt Brecht, but with tumultuous drama comparable to Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Singverein were the composer’s home team; and conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, they “get” his idiom—this recording won awards when it was issued in 2018.