Ian Bostridge on Winterreise Radio 4 Book of the Week

[Keraulophone]

Schubert's Winter Journey, on in five minutes!

Radio 4, weekdays at 09.45 and 00.30.

[mercia]

Thursday's episode only at 00.30 because of War & Peace ?

[zola]

Thursday's episode only at 00.30 because of War & Peace ?

Thursday morning's edition is broadcast on long wave only at 0930. After which presumably available on iplayer. Incidentally, Bostridge was amongst guests on Start the week which preceded today's instalment.

[Bryn]

Thursday morning's edition is broadcast on long wave only at 0930. ...

So presumably also on the 'R4LW' adjunct on DAB?

[Mary Chambers]

Thursday's episode only at 00.30 because of War & Peace ?

Also 9.30 a.m. on long wave, wherever that is. How very irritating. However, I was given the book for Christmas (after heavy hints) and will read it when my brain recovers from the family festivities. Book of the Week is usually drastically cut. It's good to hear Ian Bostridge reading it, though. I'm not sure I'd ever heard him speak before this week, and I like what I hear.

[Stanley Stewart]

Yes, a fine reading. Am already sorely tempted to add the book to my January list of "musts"!

[kernelbogey]

A bit of digging results in finding the book was published in UK on 18 December and is priced at £20.

I've just listened to the first of Bostridge's readings on iPlayer and am very impressed. The work is one that means a great deal to me.

He's being interviewed at the Oxford Literary Festival in March.

Many thanks to Keraulophone for the heads up.

[DracoM]

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.

[kernelbogey]

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.

A somewhat draconian view if I may say so.

Listening to the first I was impressed by the breadth of his references. For example, interesting comments on the cult of sentiment in the late 18th century, the cultural influences of Goethe's Leiden des Jungen Werthers (across Europe, for example, young men sporting blue coats and fawn trousers) and the revolt against this culture by the time Schubert wrote the cycle (evdence cited from Charles Dickens). Not to mention the shock of Schubert's friends felt when he sang it through to them.

Of course the producer used Bostridge's own recording - s/he would scarcely have chosen Fischer-Dieskau! - and IMV the use of extracts faded up or down as he talked about indivdual Lieder workd well to illustrate his points.

[zola]

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.

This argument could apply to any week's selection for book of the week; that a listener somewhere might be interested / intrigued / impressed enough to actually buy a copy of the featured book. Whatever one's ultimate opinion of Bostridge's book, it is a clearly a serious work rather than some piece of X Factor style market manipulation. Similarly with any extra sales for his own recording of the work; as he pointed out at the start of the first extract, "art song" is a small niche within the other relatively small niche of classical music. I doubt that Winter's Journey is trending on twitter ( sadly ? )

[verismissimo]

Unlike most, it seems, I'm completely allergic to Bostridge's singing, which always sounds holy, holy, holy to me.

And in my prejudiced world, I expect his book to be the same!

[DracoM]

Exactly my reaction to his voice, how he shapes lines.

[Bryn]

I note that Bostridge's 3 CDs of the big three song cycles are to be re-issued, along with a DVD, next week. For those happy with his singing, a potential bargain at around £14 the lot. What an amazing coincidence that it should be released at this time.

[zola]

I note that Bostridge's 3 CDs of the big three song cycles are to be re-issued, along with a DVD, next week. For those happy with his singing, a potential bargain at around £14 the lot. What am amazing coincidence that it should be released at this time.

I bet Amazon are on red alert to cope with the rush.

[Keraulophone]

Virtually unknown eighteen years ago, Bostridge was lauded for his first 'Die schöne Műllerin' with Graham Johnson (now there's someone who knows about Winterreise) in Hyperion's complete Schubert lieder series, but that cycle suited his instrument and vocal style rather better than this one, IMO, in which the English choral scholar type of voice ought to be completely alien. Anyone who has had the misfortune to have heard his Noël Coward disc for EMI will know that IB's vocal talents are not infinitely transferable to all manner of song. As for The Winter's Journey, I'd rather travel alongside Hans Hotter and his ilk any day... especially now that we're shivering cold...



...which reminds me of Peter Pears's tale of how much the great bass-baritone appreciated the welcoming headline on the newspaper front pages at WHSmith's kiosk, on his arrival at Victoria station during a particularly warm spell ~ HOTTER IN LONDON.