Alban Berg is an Austrian composer, a representative of the Second Viennese School, Arnold Schönberg’s famous disciple. He has adopted a number of constructive methods from his teacher. It is said that the music of Berg mirrors Schönberg’s lyrical side and attractively stands out from other composers working with dodecaphonic technique. Berg’s early works reflect the rational musical ideas of his teacher Schönberg. Sieben frühe Lieder (Seven Early Songs, written to the poetic texts by various authors) is one of them. Scored for mezzo- soprano and piano, the opus, saturated with conflicting feelings of love, was composed between 1905 and 1908. In 1928, the composer produced its version for soprano and orchestra. In these songs, Berg also collated the expressive world of Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler, and enriched the musical canvas with the harmonic palette characteristic of Claude Debussy and Hugo Wolf’s works. Sieben frühe Lieder (Seven Early Songs) is dedicated to Helena Nahowski, a beloved wife of the composer.

Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder (Seven Early Songs) is performed by opera soloist Vida Miknevičiūtė (soprano) together with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by maestro Vilmantas Kaliūnas.

1. Nacht (Night) – text by Carl Hauptmann
2. Schilflied (Song Amid the Reeds) – text by Nikolaus Lenau
3. Die Nachtigall (The Nightingale) – text by Theodor Storm
4. Traumgekrönt (Crowned in Dream) – text by Rainer Maria Rilke
5. Im Zimmer (Indoors) – text by Johannes Schlaf
6. Liebesode (Ode to Love) – text by Otto Erich Hartleben
7. Sommertage (Summer Days) – text by Paul Hohenberg