Like many Austrian Jews, Robert Fürstenthal (1920–2016) fled to the USA after the German invasion of his country in 1938. Music then became his link to his homeland: “When I compose, I am back in Vienna”. As an amateur composer, Fürstenthal preferred to work on a small scale, and his output of songs and chamber music is considerable. But he also wrote two sizable works for chamber choir, the first of which, in this series of two albums, is book-ended by piano sonatas – all three works revealing that the tradition of Schubert and Brahms was alive in the California sun.

“The performers here belong to a UK multi-instrumental group, the Rossetti Ensemble, and they play beautifully. Cellist Timothy Lowe offers up especially exquisite beauty in the Cello Sonata and the Lento of the String Quartet. The recorded sound is warm and natural.” – Fanfare, July/August 2021 (TOCC0577: Chamber Music Vol.3)

“It has been a privilege to get to know these songs and I will certainly return to them when out of reviewing duties. The young baritone Rafael Fingerlos is a congenial interpreter of them with his beautiful lyric voice and his sense for nuances. He is expertly accompanied by Sascha El Mouissi. … A fascinating insight into the world of Robert Fürstenthal.” – MusicWeb International, May 2017 (TOCC0354: Songs and Ballads of Life and Passing)