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Musical Discussions
Topic: Winterreise. Wow! Who is this guy?

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Posted by Romy the Cat on 09-04-2008

I use to bring a CD player to work, not anymore. My dally listening in office last few months is strictly internet. My most favorite station is ABC – Australasian Broadcast Corporation – a phenomenal source of good taste, excellent program, sane commentaries and very high quality of internet broadcasts.

http://www.abc.net.au/classic/audio/

The second advantages is that Australasian are 15 hours ahead of US Eastern time and when Australasian broadcast their local  live evening concert I have just a start of the work day (I start very early and tend do not work after lunch).

Today it had to be a live concept Schubert's Winterreise but it was canceled. Instead ABC played some strange orchestrated version of Winterreise. WOW! What an event!!!

I never heard the Hans Zenders’ orchestrated Winterreise and it was more then just wonderful.  It was played by Ensemble Modern lead by Hans Zender with Hans Peter Blochwitz carrying the tenor part. I am off to a shop to buy the recording…

The caT

Posted by Romy the Cat on 09-09-2008

Well I got the above monitored recording last night and I am spinning it all day. What the hell of fantastic interpretation – talking about the cotemporary touch!!! It is true painfully smart – nothing short of extraordinary in my view.

I am well accustomed to good Winterreise cycles. The estimable Fischer-Dieskau, particularly in his earlier years was very good. The war recording of Hans Hotter were on the very top of my list for a long time, those Hotters the cording from 50s were phenomenal also. The Schwarkopf with Edwin Fischer on piano perhaps did the best for female.  I was always expecting that some kind of heavy contralto singer would do the Winterreise…

And here is Hans Zender come up with his orchestrated version. I did not know Hans Zender before:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Zender

The recording I got is Hans Zender himself conducts “Ensemble Modern” that is a small band of sub 20 musicians with semi-odd instruments and the CD suggests that it was the “premier recording”…

The Zender’sWinterreise sets completely different feeling then the piano version. Beside the brilliant Schubert's “stricture” it has that “instrumentals smartness” that you might fine in I would say Stravinsky’s “L'Histoire du Soldat”. All together is work superbly interesting… Bravo Mr. Zender!

The caT

Posted by clarkjohnsen on 09-10-2008
I can't believe -- an orchestration! I'd have to be singing along, so it would be more like a Music Minus One.

The Hotters (especially the one with the magical Michael Raucheisen) and the earlier F-Ds (there are ten in all!) are like the man said.

There are several other fine recordings too, but the one by Max van Egmond keeps returning to my disc-drawer, as much for the magical fortepiano accompaniment of Jos van Immerseel as for the singing. The last song, The Organ Grinder, is absolutely heart-wrenching and the piano is made to sound like an actual street organ, an effect only possible on the fortepiano.

Local performances of note have been given by Sanford Sylvan; alas I was never there, but he is a fine interpretive singer with low ego. One report: 

http://www.bookrags.com/highbeam/sanford-sylvan-feels-ready-for-hb/

 Then last year there was Thomas Quasthoff and James Levine in Symphony Hall, reportedly a great performance. Missed that one too.

Here's one with the great Andreas Staier (whose recording of the Sonatas I'm searching for) that I'd like to hear:

http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Winterreise/dp/B000006AZR

Not to be dismissed: Pears and Britten. Haven't heard it for decades however.
 
clark

Posted by Romy the Cat on 09-10-2008

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