In his late years Hanns Eisler concentrated more and more on compiling his film music scores for the concert hall. That's the case also with his Leipzig Symphony which was not completed when he died. The (at that time) young composer Thilo Medek recognized this gap and completed the symphony with different pieces out of Eisler's film music scores. The compilation of Funeral pieces from Film Music scores was realized by Tobias Faßhauer and Jürgen Bruns in 2015. The scores use film music from the 1947/48 Hollywood movie ‘So Well Remembered.’
At the end of 1955, Eisler wrote the music for the KZ Documentary Nuit et brouillard (Night and Fog) for the French movie director Alain Resnais (1922–2014). After many successful concert performances (with and without film) this piece can now be listened to for the first time on album.
REVIEW:
The performances by both the MDR-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig in the first two works, and the Kammersymphonie Berlin in Night and Fog, all under the direction of Jürgen Bruns, are excellent. Both orchestras are on top form with the excellent recorded sound and the wonderful booklet notes helping to bring out the best from this music. A very fine disc, one which will enhance any collection of Hanns Eisler’s music and of late twentieth century music as a whole.
