Erich J. Wolff’s name will be unfamiliar to many but in the 1920s an authoritative reference book on popular art song ranked his compositions fourth, behind Hugo Wolf, Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler. The first volume in this series of Wolff’s Complete Songs introduces a composer of astonishing gifts whose Romanticism is as daring as his formal sophistication. Wolff’s songs are lyrical, serene and full of melodic beauty, coupled with piano writing that is both virtuosic and atmospheric.

Pianist Klaus Simon has appeared as accompanist on many Naxos albums. He has recorded the complete songs by Pfitzner and Korngold, amongst others. He is also the founder and artistic director of the Holst-Sinfonietta and the Opera Factory Freiburg and as an arranger he is known worldwide for his chamber ensemble versions of Mahler’s symphonies and songs.