The precociously gifted Korngold followed in the footsteps of the great late romantic composers Richard Strauss, Mahler and Pfitzner, his unwavering commitment to refined melody, ravishing harmony and formal coherence earning him the reputation of a musical anomaly in the face of the rising avant garde. Yet these very characteristics now drive immense interest in his music, among which the varied songs on this album rank among his most intimate and imaginative small-scale works. This new Naxos series is set to reveal countless treasures, worthy to be heard beside those of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Wolf.