An unexpected and delightful contribution to the commemoration of Berg's centenary this year. The anniversary has already been handsomely marked by Deutsche Grammophon with a set of ten records comprising all the published works (413 797-1GG10, 5/85); this is a sort of supplement to it of quite exceptional interest. Not that you have to be already familiar with the whole of Berg to enjoy these songs. The 22 of them here are a selection of the 70-odd unpublished songs from his youth and apprentice years which were kept together in two volumes and given by his widow to the Austrian National Library. About a third of them, it's thought, were written before he began his studies, late in 1904, with Schoenberg; others, more skilled but perhaps less imaginative, clearly show the effect of the disciplines the teacher encouraged Berg to impose on his writing; and a few, dating from the second half of the first decade of the century, reveal the achievement of Berg's personal song style as we know it from the collection of Seven Early Songs he published some 20 years later. Indeed, the composition of the Seven Early Songs is contemporary with some of the songs Fischer-Dieskau sings here. They come from the same treasure chest, which has only recently been opened. To a singer I am sure it must seem like one. To the rest of us, perhaps zore disposed to regard it as an archive, interesting if you want to trace genius back to its origins, let me recommend the record for its rewarding musical quality.
As Schoenberg said: ''Even the earliest compositions, unskillful as they may have been, allowed one to make two observations. First, that music was a language for Berg, and that he actually expressed himself in that language; and second: overflowing warmth of feeling''. So what are the songs like? The temptation to annotate them must be resided: they are here to be discovered and the record sleeve has helpful essays by Rudolf Stephan and Fischer-Dieskau himself, though unfortunately no texts and translations. Schoenberg, when he first saw some of the earlier ones, found them to be in a style ''between Hugo Wolf and Brahms''. The influence of Mahler is also strong, Wagner too of course, and Schubert and Schumann are often in the background. Fischer-Dieskau suggests we may discern echoes of Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Rimsky-Korsakov and Scriabin (all of whom were favourites of Alban's baritone brother, charly); later, Reger, Schoenberg and perhaps Debussy are there; but the main impression I think one gets from this selection is of the formation of a composer in whom a lyrical gift and a dynamic dramatic vein were present from the beginning.
The lyricism is wonderfully conveyed by Fischer-Dieskau, the drama not always so well when it calls for an imposing quality of sound at the top of the voice; but all the songs are relished and they are especially vividly characterized by the pianist. The recording excellent. It's much to be hoped EMI will soon be able to overcome whatever copyright difficulties have been encountered so that we can have a sheet of words. When he began to compose, Berg's literary consciousness was already highly developed and his taste interesting. Mosco Carner points out in his book (Alban Berg: London, 1975) that there are 57 different poets whose verses Berg set between 1900 and 1912. He tended to avoid poets of his own day who were favourites with Strauss and Schoenberg, for example, and his choices tell us much about him. Until we can savour the words a dimension to this record will be lacking; but it is already very good to have.'