Customer Reviews

Schoenberg: Gurrelieder / Voigt, Larmore, Moser, Riegel, Weikl, K.M. Brandauer; Sinopoli

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

When live performance recordings of the caliber Teldec lavished on this mighty production of Schoenberg's GURRELIEDER can be made, the case for studio recordings pales. For this reviewer this is the finest overall performance of this challenging penultimate post-romantic opus available.

Giuseppe Sinopoli initiated this series of recordings when he held the title of principal conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle from 1992 until his untimely death in 2001. Few conductors have the sense of perspective of the overall grand scheme of this huge work that was Sinopoli's. This is well documented in this the first of what Teldec Classics International series entitled "Live from the Semper Opera Dresden."

Sinopoli's tempi are languid without becoming ponderous. His orchestra performs with a lush fully focused sound, able to take advantage of not only the ample strings settings but also of the solo parts. As far as the artists he employed for this performance they are easily the best of the competition. For instance, Deborah Voigt as Tove has the power and lush quality of sound to sail over the large orchestra in a way that Karita Mattila under Rattle (n the EMI recording) simply couldn't manage. Her sound is never less than gorgeous. Recorded in 1996, this performance by Thomas Moser as Waldemar is fresh, perfectly urgent and beautifully sung; his repeated performance on the Rattle EMI recording in 2002 sounds threadbare by comparison. And while it is difficult to find a Wood Dove better than von Otter's for Rattle, here is the very young and fresh and lush Jennifer Larmore in one of her finest recorded moments. Add Kenneth Riegel as the Fool, Bernd Weikl as Bauer, and most especially Klaus Maria Brandauer (a world renowned and honored actor) as the speaker and the cast is as fine as can be found.

Yet all of these ingredients would be wanting were it not for the choral climaxes that crown this work and Sinopoli enhanced his own chorus with choruses from Leipzig and Prague to produce some of the most rapturous choral singing available. Surely Sinopoli's extensive experience conducting opera contributed to not only his 'casting' of this work but also of the dramatic intensity of this live performance. The final choral apotheosis to the rising sun is extraordinary!

If there were only one recording to make the music world honor the memory of Giuseppe Sinopoli, this might be it. Recommended without reservation! Grady Harp, February 2005

This is an awe inspiring recording.

Dresden's brilliant Staatskapelle Orchestra plays its' heart out.

The choirs are magnificent.

And the soloists, in their nearly impossible vocal tasks, cover themselves with glory upon glory.

Giuseppe Sinopoli was far from being my favorite conductor. However, it would be ridiculous to deny him his due here. His interpretation is, simply put, the best I've heard in 40 years.

And the recorded sound? Unbelievable in it's clarity and power. The smallest detail can be heard, revealing heretofore unknown textures. Yet the mightiest climaxes are achieved with almost frightening force. The dynamic range is astounding.

As I said, awe inspiring.

If you are looking for the greatest performance of Shoenberg's monumental "Gurrelieder" ever committed to record, your search, in my humble opinion, is over.

Case closed.

Everything that prior reviewers say about this recording is correct. The soloists, particularly the terrific Deborah Voigt, are first rate, the choral work is splendid, and Sinopoli does an excellent job with the Staatskapelle Dresden. Listeners who think about Schoenberg as 'difficult' serialist composer would do well to pay attention to this work. Gurrelieder is a powerful work in the Romantic idiom in the same way that much of Mahler's orchestral music is an extension of 19th century romantic music. Parts are truly powerful. For my part, I find the tone of Gurrelieder a little relentless but this is a major work from a great composer.

I have owned two other versions of this music. This is the best owing to its recorded quality.
Here, the soloists come through the large orchestra and chorus with clarity.
The recording made in Denmark has some sound distortion at higher volumes (a sort of crackling hiss)and the soloists sound like they are at the very rear of the stage struggling to be heard.