Hanns Eisler was a student of Arnold Schoenberg, who was irritated when Eisler shifted to more popular styles in the late 1920s. He went on to be nominated for two Oscars after fleeing Germany, then to be deported from the U.S. after being accused of harboring Communist sympathies, then to write East Germany's national anthem. He wrote numerous songs, and this album focuses on works of the 1920s and 1930s, many with texts by Bertolt Brecht. Their pioneering pro-choice effort Die Ballade zum Paragraph 218, is not included, ...
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Hanns Eisler was a student of Arnold Schoenberg, who was irritated when Eisler shifted to more popular styles in the late 1920s. He went on to be nominated for two Oscars after fleeing Germany, then to be deported from the U.S. after being accused of harboring Communist sympathies, then to write East Germany's national anthem. He wrote numerous songs, and this album focuses on works of the 1920s and 1930s, many with texts by Bertolt Brecht. Their pioneering pro-choice effort Die Ballade zum Paragraph 218, is not included, but there are two anti-Hitler songs, and in general, a strong progressive edge. If you don't read German, much of this will be lost, for no English texts are provided; this is a significant mistake for texts that are not easily accessible online. There's still the music: Eisler's style is related to, but different from, that of the better-known Kurt Weill. He doesn't have Weill's sharp, jazzy edge, but he displays the melodic gift that later brought him success in Hollywood. These are...
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