Clytus Gottwald possessed the gift of translating the most diverse vocal-soloistic-instrumental compositions into pure, polyphonic choral sound. At the center of this recording with the Kammerchor Stuttgart under Frieder Bernius are songs by Richard Strauss, to which Gottwald breathes a choral soul with almost infinite creativity. The program is complemented by the 16-part transcription of Mahler's Adagietto from the 5th Symphony. To mark the 150th anniversary of Arnold Sch^nberg's birth, the program also includes Friede auf Erden, one of the few choral works of the Second Viennese School.