Schumann's Liederkreis, op 24 - your favourite version?

[Karafan]

I have been listening a lot, of late, to Schumann's Liederkreis, op 24; particularly Schreier with Schiff and Bostridge with Drake.

Which are your favourite versions, and why?

Merry Christmas, all!

K.

[verismissimo]

I have been listening a lot, of late, to Schumann's Liederkreis, op 24; particularly Schreier with Schiff and Bostridge with Drake.

Which are your favourite versions, and why?

I have Schreier with Shetler, Kara. Not listened to in years. Will revisit over Christmas.

I also bought Schwarzkopf with Moore on LP, on the cover as Op 24, but it turned out to be Op 39.

[Richard Tarleton]

I have been listening a lot, of late, to Schumann's Liederkreis, op 24; particularly Schreier with Schiff and Bostridge with Drake.

Which are your favourite versions, and why?

Merry Christmas, all!

K.

I have Schreier with Eschenbach! How many times did he record it? I fell in love with his voice at a performance he gave of Die Schoene Mullerin with Geoffrey Parsons in the early 1970s. Its particularly plangent quality seems to suit these song cycles particularly well, with their rather depressive, not to say miserabilist, narrators! You just don't want anyone sounding too healthy and robust.

[Karafan]

I have Schreier with Eschenbach! How many times did he record it? I fell in love with his voice at a performance he gave of Die Schoene Mullerin with Geoffrey Parsons in the early 1970s. Its particularly plangent quality seems to suit these song cycles particularly well, with their rather depressive, not to say miserabilist, narrators! You just don't want anyone sounding too healthy and robust.

I agree Richard, Schreier is particularly fitting in this cycle I feel, he emotes beautifully but never seems to impose himself over the words if you catch my drift. As for the number of times he recorded it, Richard Wigmore thought twice when it was last BaL'd, but I have him with Schiff (Orfeo), Shetler (great box on Berlin Classics) and the wonderful set with Eschenbach (Teldec).

I have been toying with acquiring Werner Güra in opus 24, as I have developed a great liking for his voice in recent months. Wonderfully expressive and very affecting performances, especially in Schumann's Dichterliebe....

K.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I surprise myself in finding that I don't have a single tenor version of Op24!

Those that do emerge from the shelves are baritone versions from Holzmair and Levy on an Edelweiss CD currently unknown to the River-people, and Ruud van der Meer and Rudolf Jansen on a Dutch CBS LP(?!?). Plus Brigitte Fassbaender/Irwin Gage on a standard DGG LP c1985.

Not sure which one I'd go to first - no clear memories of the Holzmair, van der Meer decent but not startling IIRC, so probably the Fassbaender. Time for concentrated side-by-side listening perhaps, if only I had the time...

[umslopogaas]

Since I mainly collect vinyl, I find I have two versions by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with accompaniments by, respectively, Jorg Demus and Gerald Moore, and one by Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, accompanied by Geoffrey Parsons. I'd be happy with any, but I have to admit this isnt the kind of music I enjoy very much, I have copies because I collect the discs, rather than the music. The problem I have with lieder, or art-song as I believe we English call it, is not the language, because I dont like English language specimens (Britten) any more than German or French ones, but the form itself: because I cant sing a note in tune, unless by chance, I get a bit tired of listening to those who can do so faultlessly. I will rise from the sofa after the first bottle and shout "Yes, fine, you can hit the notes with great accuracy and feeling, now actually say something other than yet more wittering about liebe und tod." Oh, bring on Wagner, he wittered about those subjects too, but at least he gave us orchestration.