Lieder on Disc

[Thropplenoggin]

I've been enjoying a lot of lieder recitals on disc recently and thought a thread on the topic might be nice.

Discs I've been particularly enjoying have been Matthias Goerne in Schubert (many discs available on Decca, Harmonia Mundi) but even his great voice is eclipsed for me by Christian Gerhaher.

A couple of discs I would recommend in particular are:




Here he is in Mahler from the Proms in 2010:

A nice paradox as he sings 'All singing must now end'. I wonder if a unicorn dies somewhere in the universe every time the paradox is realised.

[gurnemanz]

A couple more good ones:

[Thropplenoggin]

A couple more good ones:

Naturally, his forthcoming concert at the Wigmore Hall in October has already sold out.

[akiralx]

Do most lieder lovers speak German - I'm just trying to understand if/how much language limitations affect enjoyment. I've always found it a barrier, being rather disinclined to sit with a translation.

[verismissimo]

Do most lieder lovers speak German - I'm just trying to understand if/how much language limitations affect enjoyment. I've always found it a barrier, being rather disinclined to sit with a translation.

I've learned most of my German by sitting with translations, akiralx. That's multi-tasking!

Over 1,000 texts and translations in The Book of Lieder by Richard Stokes. Essential equipment.

[amateur51]

I've learned most of my German by sitting with translations, akiralx. That's multi-tasking!

Over 1,000 texts and translations in The Book of Lieder by Richard Stokes. Essential equipment.

A wonderful book verismissimo - not cheap but well worth the investment

[Mary Chambers]

I've learned most of my German by sitting with translations, akiralx. That's multi-tasking!

Over 1,000 texts and translations in The Book of Lieder by Richard Stokes. Essential equipment.

That's the way to do it. You can learn by reading and listening. Translations are second best, but most of the German used for lieder is not very difficult. You do really need a basic knowledge of the language to get the most out of the songs.

[gurnemanz]

Do most lieder lovers speak German - I'm just trying to understand if/how much language limitations affect enjoyment. I've always found it a barrier, being rather disinclined to sit with a translation.

I did German at university, taught English in Germany for five years and then taught German in England till I retired. My wife is German and although we've lived in England nearly 40 years, we still talk German together, and our two children grew up bilingually... so in my case the answer is "yes".

We studied German poetry and knowing the famous settings of Heine and Goethe was a good way of remembering quotes for use in exams, where you were not allowed to take in texts. I wrote a final exam essay entitled something like "Trace Goethe's life through his poetry" and can recall sitting there singing Ganymed under my breath to get the text of it.

Studying German actually stimulated my interest in classical music, aged 18. One of my first classical LPs was Fischer-Dieskau and Moore doing Die Schöne Müllerin and I really got into their recording of Wolf's Goethe settings - a double LP which I borrowed from the library and recorded onto tape.

I occasionally took Lieder recordings into A Level German classes. Gretchen am Spinnrade is quite good with seventeen-year-olds and bits of Dichterliebe. I read somewhere that Ian Bostridge had an A Level teacher who did something similar.

[amateur51]

I did German at university, taught English in Germany for five years and then taught German in England till I retired. My wife is German and although we've lived in England nearly 40 years, we still talk German together, and our two children grew up bilingually... so in my case the answer is "yes".

We studied German poetry and knowing the famous settings of Heine and Goethe was a good way of remembering quotes for use in exams, where you were not allowed to take in texts. I wrote a final exam essay entitled something like "Trace Goethe's life through his poetry" and can recall sitting there singing Ganymed under my breath to get the text of it.

Studying German actually stimulated my interest in classical music, aged 18. One of my first classical LPs was Fischer-Dieskau and Moore doing Die Schöne Müllerin and I really got into their recording of Wolf's Goethe settings - a double LP which I borrowed from the library and recorded onto tape.

I occasionally took Lieder recordings into A Level German classes. Gretchen am Spinnrade is quite good with seventeen-year-olds and bits of Dichterliebe. I read somewhere that Ian Bostridge had an A Level teacher who did something similar.

Inspiring stuff, gurney. The headteacher in my North Wales primary school made sure that the BBC radio schools programmes about music were always played to us. One day it was DF-D and Gerald Moore in Der Erlkönig and I was smitten by lieder aged about 6

[Mary Chambers]

I occasionally took Lieder recordings into A Level German classes. Gretchen am Spinnrade is quite good with seventeen-year-olds and bits of Dichterliebe. I read somewhere that Ian Bostridge had an A Level teacher who did something similar.

Indeed. His German teacher was Richard Stokes, co-author with Bostridge of The Book of Lieder mentioned in post #5. He taught Nick Clegg, too, and gave him a lasting love of lieder, something a politician is probably wary about admitting these days - though he did, I think on Private Passions.

I did A-level German.

[gurnemanz]

Indeed. His German teacher was Richard Stokes, co-author with Bostridge of The Book of Lieder mentioned in post #5. He taught Nick Clegg, too, and gave him a lasting love of lieder, something a politician is probably wary about admitting these days - though he did, I think on Private Passions.

I did A-level German.

Thanks for that info re Richard Stokes. I do have quite a few Lieder books but not that one. Unfortunately, the numbers doing A Level German are in decline. My daughter was in a class of one at the local comp, but at least they ran it. In my last year as a comprehensive school teacher (early 90s) before I moved to FE, I had an A Level German class of 20 - unheard of nowadays. For many years I ran an adult evening class at an FE College but it got axed by the number crunchers, along with a lot of others, when government subsidy was withdrawn. Evening classes hardly seem to exist any more.

[silvestrione]

A wonderful book verismissimo - not cheap but well worth the investment

Does anyone know how it compares with the much cheaper Fischer-Dieskau Bk of Lieder? E.g. I have the huge EMI Schubert lieder box, and would like a book of texts to follow (the texts are on one of the CDs, but I don't find that too manageable).

[Karafan]

I have the Stokes book, which is very good as well as FiDi's, but my favourite is definitely John Reed's excellent companion, Akiralx. Mind you, I had to both gird the loins and loosen the pursestrings (how's that for multi-tasking!) to get the hardbacked version - at a not inconsiderable price. It was well worth it though, as it gets a bit of hammer and the paperback would likely be in pieces now through overuse!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schubert-Song-Companion-John-Reed/dp/0719010934/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1371474264&sr=1-4

K.

[Stanley Stewart]

I highly recommend Richard Wigmore's, Schubert - The Complete Song Texts, foreword by D F-D, published by Gollancz in 1992 @£10 99, if it is still in-print! Paperback, yes, but strongly supported by a coatex cover and my much used copy is in pristine condition.

[gurnemanz]

I agree on the Reed Schubert Companion. He gives translations but not original poems. You get the Wigmore free with the Hyperion Complete Edition. I also like the song companions to Brahms, Wolf and Schumann by Eric Sams (likewise, translations only). Richard Capell's Schubert's Songs is the classic Schubert companion. My Pan paperback is from 1973 (95p) and I believe it has not been not re-issued since, but is available second hand. Mine is falling to bits.