Enough Schubert

[Bryn]

So did last year's Mozartathon.

(In fact, I thought the Beethathon and Bach-to-Bach programmes also seeped into the night?)

I'm pretty sure you a right about that, fg. They were in the days before decent iPlayer sound. They were not, however, before DAB, and kept my Pure Bug busy saving the mp2s. I mentioned the Tchaikovsky Experience since it has been such a treasure trove of Stravinsky items otherwise very difficult to find.

[Resurrection Man]

I eagerly dipped into next week's Radio Times to see what the opera was on Saturday. To find that it's still ruddy Schubert. Does this go on for the rest of the year?

[Norfolk Born]

It ends at or around midnight on Saturday, I believe.

[Stanfordian]

I know this has been said, but there are plenty of available translations of Schubert's songs. They are mostly not in difficult German. My German is limited, but it does extend to Schubert. If it didn't, I'd look up the translations. Easy.

I've been dipping in and out of the programmes, and I've heard much I don't know - not all of it high quality by any means, which I find rather comforting - not even Schubert is perfect! There has been some very interesting discussion - Graham Johnson always has something enlightening to say, and some of the guests have been quite revealing as well.

I'm sure that most listeners do not have immediate access to English translations of lieder texts. If I was carrying around the English translations of 600 Schubert lieder I think that a visit to my shrink would be in order to help cure my OCD.

[Mary Chambers]

I'm sure that most listeners do not have immediate access to English translations of lieder texts. If I was carrying around the English translations of 600 Schubert lieder I think that a visit to my shrink would be in order to help cure my OCD.

They're all online. Easy and quick. It's not a sign of OCD to want to know what you're listening to.

[Barbirollians]

Much of the Schubert has been fascinating but my disillusionment with the Smashy and Nicey style of the current R3 presenters grows apace - Cowan. Service, and most of all the ubiquitous Mohr-Pietsch have been ghastly - as if they were all auditioning for Classic FM .

[gurnemanz]

I don't find any problem with other languages that I don't understand (I only understand English and some Church Latin anyway). I enjoy Italian and French opera for example, but I do feel that German does not lend itself to being sung.
I also dislike the sort of "mooing" sound, particularly from Tenors, when singing Schubert.

I suppose the people who might agree with this contribution are those who cannot tolerate the sound of (off the top of my head):

all of Bach's cantatas, motets and passions,
all the songs by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Liszt, Mahler, Mozart, Berg, Eisler, Mendelssohn, Loewe
all the operas of Wagner, Weber, Berg and Richard Strauss + Mozart's Zauberflöte and Entfführung, + Beethoven's Fidelio and Weill's Dreigroschenoper
the operettas of Franz Lehar and Johann Strauss
Mahler's Symphonies 2, 3, 4 and 8 and Das Lied von der Erde + Beethoven's Choral.
Brahms's German Requiem

[James Wonnacott]

as if they were all auditioning for Classic FM .

I hope they all get taken on!

[Stanfordian]

They're all online. Easy and quick. It's not a sign of OCD to want to know what you're listening to.

My point is that I really do want to understand the lieder texts that are being sung. But not everyone will be sitting listening sat at a computer or other device with on-line content to be able to obtain the texts. For example many people will be in the car listening. I attend several Recorded Music Societies and probably half of the members do not have computers and are not on-line. Sorry but I cannot imagine too many R3 listeners sat ready and waiting for the next Schubert lieder to played with the translated texts in front of them. So most listeners will be hearing only the sound of the singers voice and the piano accompanyment but not understanding what is being sung.

[John Wright]

I know this has been said, but there are plenty of available translations of Schubert's songs. They are mostly not in difficult German. My German is limited, but it does extend to Schubert. If it didn't, I'd look up the translations. Easy.

Yes Mary, I'm sure it is, but the point I've reached now is that even with translations on the desk in front of me I just could not bear listening to anymore German singing. It's me, sorry, it's me. Wonderful music yes, but it's me.

I'd rather listen to half an hour of songs by Leslie Sarony. Yes, I'm mad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiPz51b0Ij4

[french frank]

My point is that I really do want to understand the lieder texts that are being sung. But not everyone will be sitting listening sat at a computer or other device with on-line content to be able to obtain the texts. For example many people will be in the car listening. I attend several Recorded Music Societies and probably half of the members do not have computers and are not on-line. Sorry but I cannot imagine too many R3 listeners sat ready and waiting for the next Schubert lieder to played with the translated texts in front of them. So most listeners will be hearing only the sound of the singers voice and the piano accompanyment but not understanding what is being sung.

If it's an individual song, a (sensitively***) concise sentence or two that captures the spirit is surely enough. If people sit down to listen to Winterreise, I would have thought they would first make an effort to get an idea of what it's all about. And a longer introduction is possible.

If some people don't like the sound of German lieder, well, that's not really much of a problem, is it?

*** I.e. it shouldn't be a paraphrase of the whole song which can just sound silly

[JFLL]

I hope they all get taken on [by Classic FM]!

I think Petroc Trelawney did come from Classic FM many moons ago -- an ominous move in retrospect. Fortunately there are still presenters who sound more like traditional R3 people - Penny Gore, John Shea, Catherine Bott, Louise Fryer, James Jolly, Jonathan Swain to name but a few from the top of my head. (I fear, however, that they are precisely the ones who a poster above called 'staid'. Long live staidness, cry I!)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I fear, however, that they are precisely the ones who a poster above called 'staid'. Long live staidness, cry I!

Perhaps so-called because they're the only ones whose listeners staid with them throughout their entire programmes?

[Norfolk Born]

JFLL: PT indeed ex-CFM. STOP. Sorry. STOP. Seemed a good idea at the time. STOP. Couldn't afford Simon Bates so not total disaster. STOP.

[DracoM]

I think Petroc Trelawney did come from Classic FM many moons ago -- an ominous move in retrospect. Fortunately there are still presenters who sound more like traditional R3 people - Penny Gore, John Shea, Catherine Bott, Louise Fryer, James Jolly, Jonathan Swain to name but a few from the top of my head. (I fear, however, that they are precisely the ones who a poster above called 'staid'. Long live staidness, cry I!)

And [for me] the terrific Nathalie Wheen went the other way.