Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire - Lied der Waldtaube - Erwartung / Minton, J. Martin, J. Norman, Zukerman, Harrell, Barenboim; Boulez

Arnold Schoenberg (Artist), Ensemble InterContemporain (Artist), Pierre Boulez (Artist), Jessye Norman (Artist), Yvonne Minton (Artist), Daniel Barenboim (Artist), Lynn Harrell (Artist), Michel Debost (Artist), Antony Pay (Artist), BBC Symphony Orchestra (Artist), Janis Martin (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 13, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000281B
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,830 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #34 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Norman, Jessye

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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars There are Many Better Versions, July 18, 2002

By 

Christopher Forbes "weirdears" (Brooklyn,, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire - Lied der Waldtaube - Erwartung / Minton, J. Martin, J. Norman, Zukerman, Harrell, Barenboim; Boulez (Audio CD)

I have loved Pierrot lunaire since I was in late elementary school (yes I was a weird child!) but had not picked up a CD copy, content with my old pirated tape of a mono recording. (One of the first LP versions of the piece...I don't remember the performers but it was stunning.The reciter sounds like Lotte Lenya!) And I have always admired Boulez's take on Schoenberg, which is quite transparent, not muddy as so many others can be in this music. But I was extremely disappointed in this CD version.

The problem lies mostly in Yvonne Minton. She is a wonderful singer, but that's just the issue. Pierrot should absolutely NOT be sung. Nor really should it be spoken. Schoenberg's invention of sprechstimme is a unique thing and perhaps among his greatest inventions. It has influenced many composers who have no use for his other musical theories. A good interpretation of this piece makes it sound like a Berlin cabaret piece as seen through a twisted lens. Minton does not do this. She sings, complete with vibrato. As a result, the music looses both the nightmare quality that it should have, and also looses it's sense of humor.

The other pieces on the recording are quite good. The Ewartung is well sung and Boulez brings clarity to an otherwise muddy score. And Jessye Norman sings the Lied der Waldtaube beautifully. But the Gurrelieder piece is best in the context of the complete oratorio, and there are other equally good recordings of Ewartung (there's a wonderful one on a Phillips two-fer that also includes Verklarte Nacht, the Orchestral Variations, and the first Chamber Symphony.)

For the Pierrot, I would recommend the later Boulez recording with Schafer doing the reciter's part, or Jan De Gaetani and Arthur Weissberg's ensemble. This one just doesn't capture the work at all.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Erwartung, OK Pierrot..., July 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire - Lied der Waldtaube - Erwartung / Minton, J. Martin, J. Norman, Zukerman, Harrell, Barenboim; Boulez (Audio CD)

Contained on this Disc are two of Schoenberg's seminal expressionist works, Erwartung and Pierrot Lunaire. Erwartung, a "monodrama", is a terrifying emotional rollercoaster ride through a dark woods at night. Boulez and Janis Martin capture the essence of this piece perfectly, and the BBC orchestra, as usual, delivers a spine chilling accompaniment to this piece. Erwartung is the postershild of expressionist art (both in the music and the text). These works prove to the Philistines of 20th century music that atonality IS a legitamate art form and has the potential to express just about anything, even nothingness. Really, buy this album just for Erwartung, it is the best version I have heard on disc. Where we run into problems is Pierrot. The "Dandy from Bergamo" seems just a bit too lyrical at times. On some other recordings, I get the feeling that the sprechstimme is taken way out of proportion (as Schoenberg does indicate very exact pitches for the reciter, even notating sharps and flats). His original instructions, however, say that the recitation should "not call to mind singing", and Yvonne Minton's voice does, as much as one tries to ignore it. A correct reading Schoenberg's instructions can only be seen as extremely elusive and this, I suppose, is just another legitimate reading of the notation. I suppose we must just use our imaginations and realize that the ideal lies somewhere in between the extremes. So, in conclusion, if you are really a Schoenberg fan, get this CD for Erwartung and a different Pierrot. If you just want to try Schoenberg, then I think other albums might present a better "beginner's package".

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my preferred version, June 9, 2009

By 

Paul Betjeman (New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire - Lied der Waldtaube - Erwartung / Minton, J. Martin, J. Norman, Zukerman, Harrell, Barenboim; Boulez (Audio CD)

Very much my preferred recording of Pierrot. She clearly sounds the written pitches before moving throughout the performance - this gives another line of counterpoint to the piece which is simply not there when the "singer" does not do that - as is the case in all other versions i have heard except the other more recent Boulez one. But I like this Minton version best.