Winterreise - your favourite recording

[Radio64]

She was only a miller's daughter, but....

[gurnemanz]

She was only a miller's daughter, but....

I was slightly confused at first when I read Ian Bostridge's dedication in his new book on Winterreise. "Der schönen Müllerin gewidmet". The back cover reveals he is married to writer, Lucasta Miller, no doubt the dedicatee.

Busying myself a bit with the cycle at the moment, I came across a chap on a blog saying that his favourite version was Herrmann Schey with Felix de Nobel. I had never heard of it. It can be found here and is well worth a listen. Along with Julius Patzak with Jörg Demus it proves that old men (both singers were about 70 when recorded) can successfully carry off this young man's cycle. Patzak has a delightful Viennese tinge to his German, eg in his pronunciation of the "ei" as in "weilen", "Zeit" etc. For me, it's lovely rendition which could well become a favourite. Youtube here

[Richard Tarleton]

That counter tenor (Australian? the name didn't stick) on CDR today was horrible - musical water-boarding. I'd confess to anything.

[underthecountertenor]

Israeli. The pianist was Australian. Here's a taste of what we heard. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9bvhH4h-teM

[underthecountertenor]

Really I don't know why HF chose to feature it. It's the sort of release that one would normally expect to be politely ignored. Does she just want to give counter-tenors a bad name?

[Stanfordian]

Israeli. The pianist was Australian. Here's a taste of what we heard. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9bvhH4h-teM

Hiya utct,

Truly, truly horrible!

[richardfinegold]

I just heard Jonas Kaufman do about half the cycle on the radio. Very impressive. at least I think it was Kauffman; I was listening to Radio Budapest and my Magyar isn't to good...

[Beresford]

Hans Hotter recorded late in WW2 has a lot of conviction, but I've grown to like Christine Schäfer most on repeated listening, having overcome an initial feeling that a baritone was more authentic.
I love hearing different interpretations of Winterreise. Are there any post 1960 recordings where the singer also plays the piano? I hope that would open up more interesting possibilities.
And even more so with Dowland songs, if a lutenist could be persuaded to sing. When a very good lutenist accompanies a very good singer, there remains some stiffness, perhaps because they are so respectful of each other? I'd love to hear the views on solo performances, from those with more experience of Schubert or Dowland songs than I.

[Barbirollians]

I find now that it is Kaufmann I turn to first in this work. Extraordinarily lovely singing coupled with a very sensitive and expressive approach to the text .

[Radio64]

I believe he has a Puccini album coming out shortly...

[Stanley Stewart]

Rummaging my off-air video collection for programmes worth transferring to DVD, I was elated to find a video recording of the Peter Pears/Britten recording of Winterreise, directed by John Culshaw in 1970, presumably filmed at the same time as the LP recording. My video transfer was made on 31 January 1997. shown in celebration of the bi-centenary of the composer's birth.

No directorial concepts or quick cutting interpolations. Peter Pears is seen against an abstract setting and his vocal dexterity, matched by his innate sense of stillness and effective silences, entices the viewer to share a compelling experience - and BB, albeit out of sight, effortlessly registers his presence, too! A treasure.

[Mary Chambers]

The Pears/Britten Winterreise recording for Decca dates from 1963, I think, so much earlier than the filmed version. I believe Britten wasn't enthusiastic about doing the latter, but was persuaded to take part on the condition he wasn't visible on the film.

[Stanfordian]

I have three treasured recorings of Winterreise:
Gerhaher and Huber on RCA.
Brigitte Fassbaender and Aribert Reimann on Warner.
Siegfried Lorenz and Norman Shetler on Berlin Classics.

[gurnemanz]

Siegfried Lorenz and Siegfried Lorenz on Berlin Classics.

I also like Lorenz very much. He doesn't really get the recognition he deserves - probably because he spent most of his career cloistered in East Germany. I'm sure he is a versatile musician but I'm pretty sure he hasn't made a recording as his own accompanist. Typo for Norman Shetler, no doubt.

[Stanley Stewart]

The Pears/Britten Winterreise recording for Decca dates from 1963, I think, so much earlier than the filmed version. I believe Britten wasn't enthusiastic about doing the latter, but was persuaded to take part on the condition he wasn't visible on the film.

Thanks, Mary. It seems that John Culshaw persuaded both gentlemen into the notion of a filmed performance on completion of the production of 'Peter Grimes', 1969. We only see a still of BB in the intro and the enterprise became a consummation devoutly to be wished. The transfer from off-air video to DVD sharpens both picture and sound. A deeply satisfying acquistion for me.