BaL 18.09.21 - Schumann: Liederkreis, Op 39

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30 Building a Library
Allyson Devenish compares recordings of Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op 39, and chooses her favourite.

Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op 39, is considered to be one of the greatest song cycles of the 19th century. Composed in 1840, Liederkreis comprises 12 songs which set poems by the German Romantic poet, Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff. Together, the 12 songs explore themes of loss, loneliness, nocturnal mystery, ecstasy and reverie. Schumann himself considered the Liederkreis, Op 39 to be the most romantic music he had ever written, and he wrote to his wife that the cycle had ‘music of you in it, dearest Clara’.

Available versions:

Ursula Anders, Friedrich Gulda
Dame Janet Baker, Daniel Barenboim *
Olaf Bär, Geoffrey Parsons *
E. Bauer, Uta Hielscher
Sebastian Bluth, Anita Keller
Florian Boesch, Malcolm Martineau
Laure Colladant, Stephen Lancaster *
Sarah Connolly, Eugene Asti
Régine Crespin, John Wustman
Suzanne Danco, Guido Agosti
Stella Doufexis, Daniel Heide
Paul Esswood, Nicholas McGegan *
Bernarda Fink, Anthony Spiri
Gerald Finley, Julius Drake
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Alfred Brendel *
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Christoph Eschenbach
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) & Hartmut Höll (DVD)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber
James Gilchrist, Anna Tilbrook
Matthias Goerne, Eric Schneider *
Werner Güra, Jan Schultsz *
Malcolm Halliday, Stanley Wilson *
Vivian Hanner, Frank Peter
Efa Hoffmann, Edward Rushdon
Franz Holetschek, Sena Jurinac *
Robert Holl, András Schiff *
Robert Holl, Roger Vignoles *
Wolfgang Holzmair, Imogen Cooper *
Madeleine Jalbert, Francine Chabot
Sena Jurinac, Franz Holetschek
Jakob Johannes Koch, Carsten Storm *
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Daniel Blumenthal *
Christopher Maltman, Graham Johnson
Cristina Mantese, Daniel Levy *
Lois Marshall, William Aide *
Martha Modl, Frederick Marvin
Henk Neven, Hans Eijsackers
Jessye Norman, Irwin Cage *
Jessye Norman, Geoffrey Parsons *
Sir Peter Pears, Murray Perahia
José Pizarro, David Aijón
Christoph Prégardien, Michael Gees
Hermann Prey, Leonard Hokanson *
Margaret Price, Graham Johnson
Josef Protschka., Helmut Deutsch *
Thomas Quasthoff, Roberto Szidon *
Catherine Robbin, Michael McMahon *
Dorothea Röschmann, Mitsuko Uchida
Kate Royal, Graham Johnson
Andreas Schmidt, Rudolf Jansen
Peter Schreier, Walter Olbertz
Peter Schreier, András Schiff *
Peter Schreier, Norman Shetler *
Anne Schwanewilms, Manuel Lange
Gotthold Schwarz, Michael Schonheit
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Geoffrey Parsons
Mitsuko Shirai, Hartmut Holl *
Gerard Souzay, Dalton Baldwin
Kyle Stegall, Eric Zivian
Nathalie Stutzmann, Catherine Collard *
Leszek Swidzinski (tenor), Zofia Antes
Bryn Terfel, Malcolm Martineau *
Jennie Tourel, Leonard Bernstein
Zeger Vandersteene, Levente Kende
Scot Weir, Till Alexander Körber

* = download only

[gradus]

There was a fine live R3 performance this week from the Lammermuir Festival. I'd divide the BAL laurels between DF-D and Bryn Terfel with the imaginative pianism of Malcolm Martineau swinging it to the latter.

[Wolfram]

Sadly Fassbaender and Leonskaya seem to be nologer available. I suppose Christian Gerhaher will figure strongly. Would be nice if the beautiful singing of Margaret Price with Graham Johnson got a mention.

[Maclintick]

I suppose Christian Gerhaher will figure strongly.

Perhaps fortuitously, CG & Gerold Huber have now recorded all Schumann's lieder -- with Julia Kleiter, Sibylla Rubens, inter alia. This BAL therefore seems timely, though I've not come across Allyson Devenish before.

[Braunschlag]

Fassbaender/Gage or Bernada Fink for me. Thank heavens Bostridge hasn’t had a go.

[Barbirollians]

Fassbaender/Gage or Bernada Fink for me. Thank heavens Bostridge hasn’t had a go.

Ian Bostridge recorded Liederkreis in 1998 coupled with Dichterliebe and it received a rave review in Gramophone from the late Alan Blyth.

According to Presto it is still available as a download and therefore should be added to the list.

[Wolfram]

Ian Bostridge recorded Liederkreis in 1998 coupled with Dichterliebe and it received a rave review in Gramophone from the late Alan Blyth.

According to Presto it is still available as a download and therefore should be added to the list.

I think the Bostridge recording here is of Op 24 not Op 39.

[Barbirollians]

Ah you might be right - need to check one’s opuses when insomnia strikes

[Darloboy]

Baker/Barenboim was Richard Wigmore's first choice last time out in October 02.

A minor gripe here (and I appreciate that Op. 39 doesn't feature as much as eg Frauenliebe und -leben) - I'd suggest that the BaL producers have a rethink about their lieder programming; there's been a fair number of programmes on the longer song-cycles but little coverage of shorter cycles or individual songs. The problem is even more pronounced with Schubert, whose 3 song-cycles are covered repeatedly but none of his other songs (many of which belong in any library). Perhaps they should consider doing an occasional programme on "The Songs/Lieder of ... [insert composer]", as they have with Strauss and Wolf in the past?

[Barbirollians]

Gosh this is a soporific BAL - not the extracts many of which are lovely.

[gradus]

One of the increasing number of BALs where there are so many available recordings that much of the winnowing has already taken place before the broadcast. Why doesn't a) the producer list the recordings that are being considered on the website and b) list all the recordings that the reviewer has auditioned before reaching conclusions about which will be in the broadcast. At least we'd then know that our favourites have been so cruelly discarded after due consideration and not just because there isn't enough time to play them all!
By the way I quite enjoyed this edition.

[LeMartinPecheur]

By the way I quite enjoyed this edition.

I took a while to tune to Ms Devenish but in the end found her interesting and cogent.

[edashtav]

I took a while to tune to Ms Devenish but in the end found her interesting and cogent.

[ardcarp]

Yes I felt the same. It also re-confirmed my preference for a low-voice (either baritone or mezzo) version. The piano part just sounds too high and inconsequential at a higher pitch. In general, I do find the talk to music ratio a bit too high in BAL. More cogency (maybe conciseness) needed?

[Bemusedbyitall]

Yes I felt the same. It also re-confirmed my preference for a low-voice (either baritone or mezzo) version. The piano part just sounds too high and inconsequential at a higher pitch. In general, I do find the talk to music ratio a bit too high in BAL. More cogency (maybe conciseness) needed?

Agree on the latter - big fan of Andrew McGregor and along with Donald Macleod is a treasure of Radio 3 but the interactions that come with the 2-hander format means you get less music and insight. I understand they introduced the format to reduce costs