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This memorable and beautiful recording in high stereophonic quality of Gurre Lieder has not lost it's freshness after more than 50 years. The same applies to the recording of Janacek's precious Glagoli C Mass, recorded in 1963 by Kubelik again with the same choral and instrumental staff. Gurre-Lieder is a large cantata for five vocal soloists, narrator, chorus and large orchestra, composed by Arnold Schoenberg, on poems by the Danish novelist Jens Peter Jacobsen (translated from Danish to German by Robert Franz Arnold). The title means Inchsongs of GurreInch, referring to Gurre Castle in Denmark, scene of the medieval love-tragedy (related in Jacobsen's poems) revolving around the Danish national legend of the love of the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag (Valdemar IV, 1320-1375, spelled Waldemar by Schoenberg) for his mistress Tove, and her subsequent murder by Valdemar's jealous Queen Helvig (a legend which is historically more likely connected with his ancestor Valdemar I).
