Ian Bostridge - Liederkreis Op. 24, Dichterliebe Op. 48 & 7 Lieder

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The texts used in these 32 songs are all by Heinrich Heine, a miniaturist poet whose unique, characteristic mixture of wistfulness and irony, often tinged with self-pity, was ideal material for the genius of that wistful, ironic musical miniaturist, Robert Schumann. Every lover of Lieder must regret that Franz Schubert did not discover Heine until he was dying and composed only a few Heine songs in his Schwanengesang. But that regret is mitigated by the fact that Schumann gave so much attention to Heine during the brief, intense period when he was focused on songwriting. Dichterliebe is one of the finest song cycles in the German language--surpassed, if at all, only by Schubert's Schoene Muellerin and Winterreise; and the other songs in this collection are comparable in quality. Bostridge's light, expressive voice captures every musical and emotional nuance, and Drake plays masterfully the virtuoso piano part. --Joe McLellan

Ian Bostridge - Liederkreis Op. 24, Dichterliebe Op. 48 & 7 Lieder, Music, Robert Schumann, Ian Bostridge, Julius Drake, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard, Song Collection for Solo Voice and Piano, Song Cycle for Solo Voice and Piano, Vocal

Ian Bostridge - Liederkreis Op. 24, Dichterliebe Op. 48 & 7 Lieder
Average customer rating:

Delightful Liederkreis & Dichterliebe Schumann

Bostridge Good

Wonderfully dramatic singing. Both artists perform with intelligence and unity.

Not bad, not good.

My least favorite Liederkreis Op. 24

Ian Bostridge - Liederkreis Op. 24, Dichterliebe Op. 48 & 7 Lieder
Robert Schumann , Ian Bostridge , and Julius Drake
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000630K
Release Date: 1998-03-17

Tracks:

LiederKreis, Op.24: I. Morgens steh' ich auf und frage
LiederKreis, Op.24: II. Es treibt mich hin
LiederKreis, Op.24: III. Ich wandelte unter den Baeumen
LiederKreis, Op.24: IV. Lieb' Leiben, leg's Haendchen
LiederKreis, Op.24: V. Schoene Wiege meiner Leiden
LiederKreis, Op.24: VI. Warte, warte, wilder Schiffmann
LiederKreis, Op.24: VII. Berg' und Burgen schaum herunter
LiederKreis, Op.24: VIII. Anfangs wollt' ich fast verzagen
LiederKreis, Op.24: IX. Mit Myrten und Rosen
Belsazar, Op.57
Abends am Strand, Op.45, No.3
Die beiden Grenadiere (Op 49, No 1)
Dein Angesicht (Op 127, No 2)
Lehn deine Wang' (Op 142, No 2)
Es leuchtet meine Liebe (Op 127 No 3)
Meine Wagen rollet langsam (Op 142 No 4)
Dichterliebe (Op 48): I. Im wunderschoenen Monat Mai
Dichterliebe (Op 48): II. Aus meinen Traenen spriessen
Dichterliebe (Op 48): III. Die Rose, die Lilie
Dichterliebe (Op 48): IV. Wenn ich in deine Augen seh'
Dichterliebe (Op 48): V. Ich will meine Seele tauchen
Dichterliebe (Op 48): VI. Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome
Dichterliebe (Op 48): VII. Ich grolle nicht
Dichterliebe (Op 48): VIII. Und wuessten's die Blumen
Dichterliebe (Op 48): IX. Das ist ein Floeten und Geigen
Dichterliebe (Op 48): X. Hor' ich das Liedchen klingen
Dichterliebe (Op 48): XI. Ein Juengling liebt ein Maedchen
Dichterliebe (Op 48): XII. Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen
Dichterliebe (Op 48): XIII. Ich hab' im Traum geweinet
Dichterliebe (Op 48): XIV. Allnaechtlich im Traume
Dichterliebe (Op 48): XV. Aus laten Maerchen winkt es
Dichterliebe (Op 48): XVI. Die alten boesen Lieder

Amazon.com

The texts used in these 32 songs are all by Heinrich Heine, a miniaturist poet whose unique, characteristic mixture of wistfulness and irony, often tinged with self-pity, was ideal material for the genius of that wistful, ironic musical miniaturist, Robert Schumann. Every lover of Lieder must regret that Franz Schubert did not discover Heine until he was dying and composed only a few Heine songs in his Schwanengesang. But that regret is mitigated by the fact that Schumann gave so much attention to Heine during the brief, intense period when he was focused on songwriting. Dichterliebe is one of the finest song cycles in the German language--surpassed, if at all, only by Schubert's Schoene Muellerin and Winterreise; and the other songs in this collection are comparable in quality. Bostridge's light, expressive voice captures every musical and emotional nuance, and Drake plays masterfully the virtuoso piano part. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

Delightful Liederkreis & Dichterliebe Schumann.......2007-07-02

I can't tell you how pleased I am with Mr. Bostridge's recording of Schumann: Liederkreis Op. 24, Dichterliebe
Op. 48 & 7 Lieder, I recently bought. It's such a delight listening to; the lightness, the precision
(and still there is a wonderful and continuous legato), the very selective use of vibrato (and thus
non-vibrato) as a means of expression, the treatment of the text, the perfect bel canto technique... Also my compliments to the excellent pianist, Julius
Drake; again, wonderfully played. Mr. Julias Drake and Mr. Ian Bostridge are a wonderful ensemble. When Mr. Bostridge stops, the singing is seemlessly continued by Mr. Drake.
I did not know Mr. Bostridge as a singer until I started looking for singers who had recorded `Dichterliebe'
and `Liederkreis' (Op. 39 BTW). Listening to a
few samples there conviced me to buy it. I can only say I am very grateful Mr Bostridge made this
recording. It means a great deal to me.

A final note: I firmly disagree with 'not my cup of tea'. I cannot agree with the assertion that
"The interpretation is flat, and does not have the depth that many German singers give to these songs." I own Dichterliebe sung by Quasthoff, Fischer-Dieskau, Fritz Wunderlich and Ian Bostridge (this recording).
By far I like Ian Bostridge's best. The interpretation is very delicate and the opposite of flat I would say. Flat is the interpretation of Quasthoff (although I highly respect him as a singer, but not particularly for his recording of Dichterliebe). The recording of Fischer-Diskau is quite interesting, musically speaking. Technically on the other hand I much prefer Ian Bostridge. Finally, the recordings of F. Wunderlich: I own both his final concert and a studio recording. Although the final concert recording is very bad, musically this one is by far surpassing the studio recording and is worth owning. What goes for the technique of Ian Bostridge goes for Mr. Wunderlich's; just wonderful.

Bostridge Good.......2006-11-10

Gramophone says Bostridge recording of the Schumann is best. He is great, but I prefer a baritone for this music.

Wonderfully dramatic singing. Both artists perform with intelligence and unity........2005-11-16

Robert Schumann was a leader on many fronts of the Romantic movement in music. Not only a composer of genius, he was also a powerful writer and an insightful critic. Born in 1810, he began his music studies at age 8. He was a skilled pianist and began writing music for that instrument along the way. In 1840 he was given an honorary doctorate, wrote the Liederkreis (song cycle) op 24 on poems of Heine, and then married Clara Wieck. Schumann had a work style of focusing on a single form at a time. In 1840 he wrote a flood of songs, more than 150 of them, including the large song cycles included on this disk.

Heinrich Heine, a great German poet who remains highly regarded today, was an inspiration for many Romantic composers. Schubert only set a few of his poems simply because he did not become aware of Heine's work until he was already ill and dying. While Heine was thirteen years older than Schumann, they died the same year. In fact, Heine was born the same year as Schubert, although Schubert was born in January of 1797 and Heine in December.

The songs of opus 24 are about separation and longing. Nothing is ever a straightforward love song. This aching love is what attracted the Romantics. The poems are full of strong, but conflicted emotions and are written in a way that lends them well to musical settings. They tend to be short verses with a declamation that supports a singer's dramatic efforts and allows dramatic additions by the piano.

"Dichterliebe" (Poet's Love) opus 48 is one of the great song cycles ever written, probably after Schubert's masterwork's "Die Schöne Müllerin" and "Winterreise". While Schumann masterfully varies the songs so that it does not have the unremitting chill of Schubert's "Winterreise", it is a song cycle of lost love and ends with a desire for a coffin large enough to contain his love and sorrow.

There are other Schubert songs of Heine poems on this disk other than the two song cycles and they vary about topic, but are all full of drama and story telling of one kind or another. "Belsazar" opus 57 tells a story of the Babylonian king and the writing on the wall. "The Two Grenadiers" tells the story of two French soldiers captured by the Russians, one of whom dreams of fighting for his Emperor from the grave. There are several others.

I am a huge fan of Ian Bostridge. His voice is pure rather than light or colorless. (Colour, I suppose, since he is British.) His singing style is intelligent, very dramatic, and he varies its color depending on his interpretive purposes. He and Mr. Drake put on a wonderful recital of Schubert lieder here in Ann Arbor awhile back. They perform so wonderfully well together and I was surprised at the power, range, and control Mr. Bostridge has with his voice. It was one of the great afternoons of music I have ever experienced.

This is a wonderful CD and I recommend it strongly.

Not bad, not good........2005-10-20

I was pleased to buy a recording so well-received and was anxious to hear not only Dichterliebe, but the op. 24 Liederkreis. (This particular Liederkreis is considered by many to be the most underrated.)

It took me awhile to form an opinion, other than that I was nonplussed. The most famous moment, 'Ich grolle nicht', is a good example of a well-practiced but ultimately boring rendition of music that is simply beyond Bostridge's training or inclination or both. Yes, he hits all the notes with complete security, but there is no thrill, no conviction, no pain. All is very academic, as if grown in a hothouse or nurtured in a cloister. I agree with a previous reviewer that Bostridge's voice is perhaps better-suited to lighter, less passionate material. (I'm not familiar with his other recordings, but I might very much enjoy hearing him sing the music of Harty or Stanford.) His voice is thin, nasal, and with a very narrow color palette. It's a very good voice, but a very studied, calculated one that seems not to have internalized the text. I would prefer a few cracks or idiosyncracies rather than such a bloodless interpretation as this. Drake's accompaniment is a perfect match, and that's not much of a compliment. The recording's engineering is excellent, however.

Those looking for some excellent Schumann would do better to consider Terfel, Fischer-Diskau (despite transposition to lower keys), or the wonderful Wunderlich.

My least favorite Liederkreis Op. 24.......2005-09-29

The winds of fashion are always changing, and they've definitely been blowing in the direction of Ian Bostridge, whose voice is not one I love or even tolerate for more than a few songs. He uses it intensely and artistically, but its native quality is a typcial "white" English tenor, light in tone, mostly projected form the head, and of an irritatingly nasal timbre--one is constantly reminded of an adolescent whose voice has just changed. People do seem to love it, especiallly the English, and Bostridge's fussy way with texts is also admired.

For anyone who isn't thrilled by him, there is an overlapping recital of Schumann's Heine songs--oddly enough, also on EMI--by Thomas Hampson at his very best with Wolfgang Sawallisch as accompanist. For a tenor version sung by someone with a much fuller voice and less mannered approach to the texts, there is Christoph Pregardien on RCA/BMG. Having owned all three, I was happy to toss out this CD.

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