Voices in the Wilderness
Works by Hans Gál and Ernst Krenek
Roger Benedict, viola, and Timothy Young, piano
Contains Gál: Sonata for Viola and PIano op. 101,
Impromptu for Viola and Piano
Suite for Viola and Piano op. 102a
Melba/Pantheon MR301145
2014
Where to buy or listen
Voices in the Wilderness – Hans Gál & Ernst Krenek
Roger Benedict (viola) & Timothy Young (piano)
About this release
This intriguing recital pairs the viola music of Hans Gál and his younger compatriot Ernst Krenek. Both composers were forced to leave their Viennese homeland by the Nazis and the works here – Gál’s Sonata op. 101, Impromptu and Suite op. 102a and Krenek’s two sonatas – all date from the 1940s【532152581819123†L60-L67】. The programme blends soul‑searching lyricism with optimistic, romantic spirit, reflecting the composers’ resilience in exile.
Where to buy or listen
- Melba Recordings release page (previews/information)
What critics said
Further context
Each of Gál’s works on this album receives its recorded premiere. By coupling them with Krenek’s more compact sonatas, violist Roger Benedict and pianist Timothy Young illuminate a chapter of Viennese modernism shaped by exile and rediscovery.
