Ian Bostridge on Winterreise Radio 4 Book of the Week

[Mary Chambers]

I prefer these songs sung by a tenor. Ian Bostridge may have a choral scholar's voice, but he was never a boy chorister or choral scholar, and hasn't been to a music college. I think this does give him a certain individuality, which generally I find all too lacking in today's singers. I'm beginning to think I may even buy his CD, though I wish it were possible to combine him with Britten's piano playing. No-one does frozen tears or wind-scattered leaves like Britten.

[gurnemanz]

The Schubert is a fine, fine work. but my suspicion is that this Book of the Week is a colossal self-promotion of his own recording - used as illustrations. Sorry, but this has a pretty iffy taste to me. And is he actually one of the major interpreters of this cycle? But that's only my opinion, of course.

If you're trying to sell a niche 500 page hardback about German Lieder to the British, I would have thought you're entitled to give yourself all the free publicity you can muster. He knows and loves the German language and is a real enthusiast (an enthusiam which was ignited, I believe, by his German A Level teacher}. Being a fellow enthusiast (and also teacher of German A level), I wish him well. I don't like all his recordings, but he can be marvellous. We have only seen him only once live - doing Wolf Eichendorff settings in Reading Town Hall (half empty). We also glimpsed him in the audience at Fischer-Dieskau's 75th birthday talk at the Wigmore.

I'm sure I will get his book at some stage.

[kernelbogey]

If you're trying to sell a niche 500 page hardback about German Lieder to the British, I would have thought you're entitled to give yourself all the free publicity you can muster. [...]

But rather wasted on Waterstone's, whose Southampton shop today had neither stock nor knowledge of it....

[DoctorT]

Didn't I hear IB talking to Tom Service on Music Matters a couple of weeks ago? I'm not always the biggest fan of his voice, but the book sounds fascinating.

[Mary Chambers]

49th in the Amazon best seller list, no.1 in their classical music/composers section, according to Mr Bostridge.

[David-G]

But rather wasted on Waterstone's, whose Southampton shop today had neither stock nor knowledge of it....

But in Wimbledon Books, they were flying off the shelf before Christmas. (One of them in my direction!)

[David-G]

If you're trying to sell a niche 500 page hardback about German Lieder to the British, I would have thought you're entitled to give yourself all the free publicity you can muster. He knows and loves the German language and is a real enthusiast (an enthusiam which was ignited, I believe, by his German A Level teacher}. Being a fellow enthusiast (and also teacher of German A level), I wish him well. I don't like all his recordings, but he can be marvellous. We have only seen him only once live - doing Wolf Eichendorff settings in Reading Town Hall (half empty). We also glimpsed him in the audience at Fischer-Dieskau's 75th birthday talk at the Wigmore.

I'm sure I will get his book at some stage.

Exactly. It is a marvellous book - and beautifully produced. Cynicism is not appropriate here.

[Keraulophone]

Cynicism is not appropriate here.

Agreed, it's a very worthwhile and elegant volume... but please allow me to remain critical of, if not cynical about, Professor Bostridge's performance of this great work. Maybe he'll be able to give a more satisfying performance (or make a better recording) after further maturation of the vocal folds, but I doubt it (IMO, of course).

[LMcD]

Schubert's Winter Journey, on in five minutes!

Radio 4, weekdays at 09.45 and 00.30.

Repeated this week - details on the 'Speech Radio' thread.