Winterreise, Part Two
On my show Saturday afternoon I brought out a recording I bought long ago, but don’t recall ever giving a good listen: Matthias Goerne and Graham Johnson‘s Winterreise, D. 911 by Franz Schubert. It is a highly praised reading of what may be the greatest of all song cycles (though I am partial to Schumann’s Dichterliebe, by virtue of the Heine texts).
Hyperion, a British label, has simultaneously done fans of Lieder a tremendous service and disservice with their astonishingly comprehensive Schubert Edition, of which this Winterreise is Volume 30. The great service is the consistently high quality of musicianship and production, and simply astonishing level of scholarship and research displayed in the lavish documentation (this volume includes a 111 page booklet with illustrations, texts, translations and an essay on every last song). The disservice is the tragically high price, which is understandable given the circumstances. But when the whole package is as good as it is, the expense of it all is that much more heartbreaking, especially for those wishing to collect the entire 37 CD series. (They have been gathered together in a massive box, but then then a separate book must also be purchased.)
I doubt this recording, good as it is, could ever replace those by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau for me–there is simply no more beautiful male voice than his–but if somebody was a fan of art song, and already had a Fischer-Dieskau/Gerald Moore version on their shelf, I’d strongly recommend Goerne/Johnson. Even if the singing weren’t as good as it is, it’d be worth the $23 for the notes alone.
Meanwhile, if you have never heard Schubert’s Winterreise, get thee to Wikipedia, and read the very informative synopsis of the songs, as they describe a dejected lover’s winter journey and sadness.
UPDATE: I just received the following email:
Hi, I was listening to 89.1 today around noon and I was just wondering
who the singer was. He was singing german songs and just had the most
lovely voice. I’ve just got to know who he is! Jessica.
Well, there you go.
Filed under: Music, Work on January 6th, 2008 | No Comments »