This selection of orchestral music from Schreker’s early to middle period nicely complements the recording of middle to late works by Lawrence Renes that I welcomed in January 2017. There’s no direct duplication of repertoire across the two recordings, although there is some overlap of music in that the Vorspiel zu einem Drama (‘Prelude to a Drama’) featured here is a much-extended version of the Overture to Die Gezeichneten (‘The Stigmatised’) included on the Renes recording. Premiered by the Vienna Philharmonic under Weingartner in 1914, the Prelude represents Schreker’s music at its most opulently scored and romantically charged, a style that for a time brought the composer success comparable to that enjoyed by Richard Strauss.

By contrast, Schreker’s music from the pantomime Der Geburtstag der Infantin (‘The Birthday of the Infanta’), based on the novella by Oscar Wilde, is a much lighter affair. The original 1908 score was written for chamber orchestra, and although Schreker rescored the 1923 Suite for a full-size orchestra, the result still sounds fresh and engaging. A highlight is the music for the third number, ‘Die Marionetten’, featuring a sentimental but ravishing melody for solo oboe that installs itself indelibly in the mind.

The earliest work on the disc is the four-movement Romantic Suite, completed in 1903 when Schreker was 25. The composer’s expressive style is already distinctive, although there are also passages which sound indebted to Brahms and Dvořák. Both here and in the other works, JoAnn Falletta conducts performances that are assured, spontaneous and superbly played, although perhaps not quite as sumptuously recorded as this music deserves. Nevertheless, this is a highly recommendable release for anyone interested in Schreker’s music.