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R. Schumann: Complete Solo Piano Works, Vol. 3 - Variationen über den Namen Abegg, Op. 1, Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, 4 Klavierstücke, Op. 32 & Vier Märsche, Op. 76
Dana Ciocarlie
Classical - Released September 29, 2017 | La Dolce Volta
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Schubert: Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Classical - Released July 22, 2023 | UME - Global Clearing House
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The first set was as good as it gets, the second set was even better, and the third set is best of all. Of course, this is impossible. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's three sets of the nearly complete songs of Schubert don't really get any better from volume to volume. His voice -- his marvelous voice, the voice of German Lieder in our time -- was sublime in the earliest songs of the first volume and just as sublime in the later songs of the second volume. His interpretations -- the most sensitive, soulful, intelligent, and sublime -- were sublime in the early songs and the late songs. And pianist Gerald Moore was still the accompanist without peer in every song. But the third set is still the best of all because this is the set with the three great cycles -- Die schöne Müllerin, Winterreise, and Schwanengesang -- and no matter how great the individual songs are, the cycles go further into the heart and soul of man. And Fischer-Dieskau goes further, too: his Die schöne Müllerin is love, youth, spring, and death; his Winterreise is love, despair, and madness without end; and his Schwanengesang is almost unbearable in its endless intensity and infinite concentration. One of the greatest sets of recordings ever made, this is fit to stand with Beecham's La bohème, Davis' Kind of Blue, and Dylan's Blonde on Blonde. Everyone should hear these discs.© TiVo
The first set was as good as it gets, the second set was even better, and the third set is best of all. Of course, this is impossible. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's three sets of the nearly complete songs of Schubert don't really get any better from volume to volume. His voice -- his marvelous voice, the voice of German Lieder in our time -- was sublime in the earliest songs of the first volume and just as sublime in the later songs of the second volume. His interpretations -- the most sensitive, soulful, intelligent, and sublime -- were sublime in the early songs and the late songs. And pianist Gerald Moore was still the accompanist without peer in every song. But the third set is still the best of all because this is the set with the three great cycles -- Die schöne Müllerin, Winterreise, and Schwanengesang -- and no matter how great the individual songs are, the cycles go further into the heart and soul of man. And Fischer-Dieskau goes further, too: his Die schöne Müllerin is love, youth, spring, and death; his Winterreise is love, despair, and madness without end; and his Schwanengesang is almost unbearable in its endless intensity and infinite concentration. One of the greatest sets of recordings ever made, this is fit to stand with Beecham's La bohème, Davis' Kind of Blue, and Dylan's Blonde on Blonde. Everyone should hear these discs.© TiVo
Schumann: Alle Lieder
Christian Gerhaher
Classical - Released September 3, 2021 | Sony Classical
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Schubert: Rosamunde
Elly Ameling
Classical - Released August 7, 1985 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
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Robert Schumann: Complete Piano Trios, Quartet & Quintet
Trio Wanderer
Chamber Music - Released April 30, 2021 | harmonia mundi
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Diapason d'or / Arte
Constantly shifting from the most impulsive exuberance to the most restrained meditation, from the most intense passion to the most innocent tenderness, this programme forms a representative panorama of Schumann’s chamber music. Going beyond the Piano Trios, which already give us a fully rounded account of Schumann, the Trio Wanderer have invited their favourite partners to join them for their interpretation of two supreme masterpieces, the Piano Quartet and Piano Quintet. © harmonia mundi
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Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin
Samuel Hasselhorn
Art Songs, Mélodies & Lieder - Released September 22, 2023 | harmonia mundi
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This 2023 release inaugurates an ongoing series from baritone Samuel Hasselhorn and pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz, performing Schubert works two centuries on from their date of composition, and slated to culminate in 2028, the bicentennial of the composer's death. The project begins with one of the most famous Schubert song cycles of all, Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795, depicting the crackup and despair of a young wanderer who falls in love with a beautiful miller's daughter. Hasselhorn has plenty of recent competition in this cycle; listeners can sample the 2017 recording by Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber for another approach, but this one promises well for the ongoing project. Die schöne Müllerin is a work in which Schubert took vast strides toward the emancipation of the piano in the lied, and Bushakevitz leans into this aspect, with details that illuminate and often foreshadow themes developing in the text. Hasselhorn has a warm baritone with an appealing conversational tone that turns chilly and quiet toward the cycle's downer conclusion. Another draw is Harmonia Mundi's sound from the b-sharp studio in Berlin; the engineers put Bushakevitz just a bit forward in the mix, not so much as to sap energy from Hasselhorn's singing, but enough to highlight his perceptive performance. This release bodes well indeed for the duo's future work.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Buxtehude : Abendmusiken
Vox Luminis
Sacred Vocal Music - Released June 8, 2018 | Alpha Classics
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In 1668, Dietrich Buxtehude, then thirty one years old, took up the very sought-after tenure of organist at the Marienkirche in Lübeck, then a Hanseatic metropolis of considerable relevance; the organist had at that time one of the most desirable social statuses. He soon caused a sensation with the church concerts he held outside of religious services and that happened every year, in the early evening, on the five Sundays preceding Christmas. During these “Abendmusiken” (vespertine music), as they were called, were sometimes performed great works falling withing the oratorio genre, but more often was performed a mix of instrumental pieces, church tunes, psalm arrangements and cantata-like works. From the 1700s, these series of concerts had become a major cultural event of the city. Released from the daily handling of religious music handled by the Marienkirche’s Cantor—as was often the case at the time in North Germany—, Buxtehude only composed works on his own initiative, which allowed him to give them a quality level noticeably higher than that of the Cantor, for example, forced to compose non-stop, from one Sunday to another. The cantatas recorded here demonstrate the high artistic ambitions of these vocal works: they often digress from stylistic and generic conventions of their time and answer the tasks imposed by the texts with bold musical solutions, daring and absolutely splendid. The sonatas from Buxtehude completing the vocal program of this disc are also characterized by their markedly experimental character. Olivier Fortin’s Masques Ensemble—recorder, strings, positive organ—and Lionel Meunier’s Vox Luminis join forces to offer us these gems from the turn of the North German 18th century, such gems that the young Bach didn’t hesitate, in 1705, to travel on foot from Arnstadt—a 100-league trip—to come listen to Buxtehude, his organ play and probably his famous Abendmusiken. © SM/Qobuz
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Duo (Œuvres de Brahms, Chostakovitch, Debussy, Schumann)
Sol Gabetta
Classical - Released October 2, 2012 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
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Argentine-Swiss cellist Sol Gabetta and the nationally unclassifiable Hélène Grimaud (who is listed first in the graphics here, presumably so that Deutsche Grammophon may capitalize on her former enfant terrible reputation) are both known for a tendency toward interpretations that push the extremes. Grimaud, in fact, has named Glenn Gould, still among the greatest extremists of all, as an exemplar. But, perhaps because the necessity of working in a duo puts a damper on strong manifestations of individualism, the two play it pretty straight on this, the first duo recording for both. Their interpretations in this diverse recital of Romantic and modern pieces, in fact, tend distinctly toward the quiet side. Although Grimaud has resolutely declined to classify herself as French (she is of North African Jewish background, spent some years in Florida, and then lived in Switzerland), this is a chamber recital in the classic French vein, with plenty of impeccably elegant passagework from both players and an absence of emphatic gesture even in the Drei Fantasiestücke, Op. 73, of Schumann, which are arch-Romantic pieces. The Brahms Sonata for piano and cello No. 1, Op. 38, gets a very light touch that does delightful things with the contrapuntal finale. The pair are clearly at home in the Debussy cello sonata, and really the only piece that falls flat is the concluding Cello Sonata, Op. 40, of Shostakovich, where the restrained performance misses the icy fear of the slow movement and the sarcastic snap that was so characteristic of the composer's early years. The sound, from the Philharmonie Essen hall, is a bit too spacious for the music but is up to the task of capturing clearly the fine detail work on exhibit here.© TiVo
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Robert Schumann: Piano Works
Llyr Williams
Classical - Released January 12, 2024 | Signum Records
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Pianist Llŷr Williams has built a following with recordings of Beethoven and Schubert, and with this double album, he plows forward into Schumann; the works on the album are mostly early, so one assumes that this is the first in a cycle. The appearance of the album on classical best-seller charts in early 2024 should encourage the folks at Signum Classics to proceed. Williams is a sober player whose style may remind listeners of a certain age of Rudolf Serkin. He has remarkable control in the larger pieces that frame the program here, the Fantasy, Op. 17, and the Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26. He certainly doesn't lack control in the smaller pieces, either. The issue is that these pieces, especially lately, have been treated, backed by Schumann's own writings and programmatic descriptions, as examples of free fantasy. It is not that Williams' playing is inexpressive, but he tends to let the fantastic in Schumann's music speak for itself. Sample the brief "Ungeduldig" ("Impatient") fourth movement of the Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, which few would call impatient. Williams' playing in the Papillons, Op. 2, is exquisitely delicate, and throughout, there is a fine sense of line. He has an approach that is unorthodox in Schumann, and that is all to the good. However, listeners should do some sampling to see how well they take to it. Producer Judith Sherman records the album well at a pair of locations at St. Paul's School and the Wyastone Estate, capturing the clarity of Williams' performances.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Berg ∙ Brahms ∙ Poulenc ∙ Schumann: Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano
Michel Portal
Classical - Released March 1, 2024 | La Dolce Volta
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Clarinetist Michel Portal was born in 1935, and his performing partnership with pianist Michel Dalberto dates back to 1977. This little 2024 release, therefore, carries flavors of some older ways of music making, and as such, it is quite valuable. Portal knew Francis Poulenc, which is something that few enough performers around today can say they did, and whether for that reason or some other, the pair's performance of the Poulenc Clarinet Sonata of 1962 may be the best one here. The piece has an unusually strong jazz influence for one from so late in Poulenc's career. Portal, who had a background in jazz as well as classical music, catches both these rhythms and a certain retrospective mood to the whole. Elsewhere, the long association between the two performers shows in the subtle balances in the Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 2, Op., 120, No. 2, a work that is all about finding the right weight for each little bit of music. There may be cleaner performances, but the listener will find much here that is absorbing. The early Four Pieces for clarinet and piano, Op. 5, of Berg, have the proper aphoristic quality, and in general, Portal and Dalberto switch gears effectively between some very diverse pieces, even if they present it as falling under the Romantic umbrella. The program is rounded out by pieces from Robert Schumann that were also played on other instruments, but most of this is echt clarinet music, and the program carries some beautiful flavors from the past.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Brahms & Schumann - Works for Cello and Piano
Christian Poltéra
Classical - Released February 16, 2024 | BIS
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There is no single radical departure in these performances of Brahms' two sonatas for cello and piano and Schumann's Fünf Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102. Instead, what happens is that various factors come together in performances of rare variety and intensity. Cellist Christian Poltéra and pianist Ronald Brautigam have worked together before and have evolved into a chamber music unit of great cohesion. Brautigam plays a copy of an 1868 Streicher piano; it is not exactly a historical instrument, but it has a precise, penetrating quality that suits the interpretation here beautifully. Póltera has a deep understanding of these works, offering readings that bring out the full range of the music's expressive traits. The Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38, loses its usual dour, growling quality; sample the exuberant finale. It has been suggested that the word "Volkston" in Schumann's Fünf Stücke im Volkston might better be translated as "popular style" than "folk style"; annotator Michael Struck suggests that the pieces are related to Schumann's sympathy for the republican movements of 1848, and Póltera imbues them with rare depth and lyricism. Of course, another side of Brahms is the intellectual complexity that gives one the delightful suspicion that one will never emerge from the thicket. The opening material of the Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 99, has very rarely seemed so pregnant with implications and had those implications so deeply worked out. There are many available performances of all these works (perhaps a bit fewer of the Schumann), but these are marvelous and worth hearing for anyone. This release made classical best-seller lists in early 2024.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Bach : "Actus tragicus" (Cantatas BWV 4, 12, 106, 196)
Konrad Junghänel
Cantatas (sacred) - Released July 31, 2007 | harmonia mundi
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4F de Télérama
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Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin + 3 Lieder
Fritz Wunderlich
Classical - Released September 2, 2016 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
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Schumann: Complete Works for Piano Trio
Leif Ove Andsnes
Classical - Released April 8, 2011 | Warner Classics
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5 de Diapason -
Gramophone Editor's Choice
Though often maligned as being less inventive examples of the composer's output, Schumann's piano trios are nonetheless important steps in his chamber music development and shining examples for his endless penchant for incorporating song-like melodies into any medium. Schumann did not turn to the genre until relatively late in his career -- 1842 -- and even then only in a set of four miniatures that he later revised and published as Op. 88. The first formal piano trio did not emerge until 1847, after the two famous trios of Mendelssohn and the increasingly popular trio of his wife, Clara. In total, Schumann turned to the piano trio three times. This EMI disc features the three formal trios along with the Op. 88 Fantasiestücke and the Theodor Kirchner piano trio arrangement of the Op. 56 Etudes; performing are pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and siblings Christian (violin) and Tanja (cello) Tetzlaff. Unlike some unions of prominent solo performers for the occasional chamber music collaboration, Andsnes and the Tezlaffs form a satisfyingly cohesive ensemble that could rival many long-standing trios. Schumann's trios thrive on energetic, driven performances and that is precisely what is offered here. Even the slow movements are pushed ahead to avoid even a hint of stagnation. Besides brilliantly matching technical components such as pitch, articulation, and dynamics, trio members also blend well musically; pacing and phrasing are organic and unified throughout. The only possible negative here is one of balance; surprisingly, the violin is sometimes a bit domineering, at times obscuring the cello.© TiVo
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Bach: Early Cantatas, Vol. 1
Emma Kirkby
Cantatas (sacred) - Released February 1, 2005 | Chandos
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Schumann : Piano Concerto, Piano Trio Op. 80
Alexander Melnikov
Classical - Released August 19, 2015 | harmonia mundi
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Schubert: Die Schöne Mullerin
Thomas Guthrie
Mélodies - Released November 24, 2023 | RUBICON
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Baritone Thomas Guthrie gets top billing, as is usual for the singer, on this recording of Schubert's song cycle Die schöne Müllerin, but equally important is the ensemble Barokksolistene, contributing a string quintet and a pair of guitars as accompaniment to Schubert's familiar songs about the fair maid of the mill. The arrangements are by Guthrie, but this release was the product of a musical-theatrical presentation by Barokksolistene, a group that has tried, so to speak, to bring classical music back to the barrooms, with performances of Baroque music in pub-like settings. It is hard to evaluate the recording without the theatrical context; the backing group is different from the usual ones offered by Barokksolistene, and there is something of the flavor of two projects going at cross purposes. On the other hand, arrangements of all kinds were common in the 19th century, and even if a string quintet would be unlikely for an informal musicale, nothing here goes beyond the bounds of what is reasonable. Guthrie has an appealing baritone, and as an introduction to the undoubtedly experimental spirit of Barokksolistene, this album succeeds. It made classical best-seller charts in the holiday season of 2023.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Schubert : Die schöne Müllerin, Op. 25
Andrè Schuen
Classical - Released March 5, 2021 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
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If the global pandemic allows it, the young baritone Andrès Schuen is expected in Papageno (The Magic Flute) at the Vienna Opera in spring 2021. He will be Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in the summer of the same year, and then Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte) at the Salzburg festival.Hailing from the Italian Tyrol, close by Austria, Andrès Schuen has a solid CV. He studied song under Wolfgang Holzmair and Brigitte Fassbaender, and lieder under Daniel Heide. It is the latter that he has chosen again as a partner for this new album dedicated to the Schöne Müllerin (The Beautiful Miller) by Franz Schubert after the great success of their album Wanderer released in 2018.His fine, youthful and manly timbre works wonders throughout this cycle. It is a voyage through the joy and hope of youth, a joy soon tarnished by the cruel disillusionments of life. In the manner of an actor, and above all, a storyteller, Schuen gradually goes from laughter to tears and resignation. His style is unaffected, with a probity and simplicity that pleases. Accustomed to the Schubertiades of his neighbouring Schwarzenberg which he often visits, Andrès Schuen is supported by the attentive but somewhat matte piano playing of Daniel Heide, specialist in lieder and accompanist to the greatest voices of the day. © François Hudry/Qobuz
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György Kurtág: Kafka-Fragmente
Anna Prohaska
Classical - Released August 19, 2022 | harmonia mundi
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Always looking to enrich her repertoire, violinist Isabelle Faust has released an exciting and ambitious album alongside soprano Anna Prohaska, who is also experienced in contemporary repertoire. Very much at ease with smaller ensembles, Hungarian composer György Kurtág (born in 1926) began to sketch out tiny pieces for soprano and violin in 1985 without any specific end goal in mind. These pieces were based on texts by Kafka, taken not from his literary works but his diaries. These writings form an overview of the reflections, wanderings and inner workings of the author’s soul, touching on happiness, despair, biting irony, the certainty of death and the bitterly absurd.Kurtág wrote around forty haiku-like miniature pieces reflecting on existential fragility, leaving the sequence of their selection to the performers, and their publication, to the Hungarian musicologist András Wilhelm. This piece of work is filled with strong, contradictory emotions, which are magnified here by two musicians at the peak of their artistic careers. © François Hudry/Qobuz
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Schumann : Dichterliebe
Julian Prégardien
Lieder (German) - Released April 19, 2019 | Alpha Classics
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Julian Prégardien decided to record the Dichterliebe cycle after he came across the new Bärenreiter edition; he went on to explore the work in concerts with his constant accompanist, Eric Le Sage, inserting other works by Robert and also by Clara Schumann, whose bicentenary is celebrated in 2019. When Clara played the Dichterliebe in the 1860s, she used to slip extracts from Kreisleriana between the songs. Prégardien asked Eric Le Sage to record the same extracts on a Blüthner piano of 1856, the year of Robert’s death, and also to include Romances composed by both Robert and Clara at a time when their future marriage was still uncertain. The sublime ballade Löwenbraut also forms part of the programme – a reminder of the young Robert’s anguish on Clara’s departure. At Julien’s suggestion, Sandrine Piau was invited to sing three duets: a simple Canon composed by Clara, and two duets by Robert, Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär, and the sublime In der Nacht. Four further songs complete the recording: Sängers Trost, a short piece in belcanto style; Kurzes Erwachen, composed by Robert at the age of just eighteen; Aus den hebräischen Gesängen, a very melancholy song; an extract from the cycle Myrthen (Robert’s wedding present to Clara); and Mein Wagen rollet langsam, a song that was included in the composer’s first version of Dichterliebe. The Dichterliebe songs micht have been expected to show Schumann triumphantly rejoicing in that year of 1840 when he was finally able to marry Clara; and yet they are characterised by bitter irony, nostalgic Sehnsucht, and a sense of dread… © Alpha Classics
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