Customer Reviews

Schumann: Genoveva / Ziesak, Lipovsek, van der Walt, Widmer, Gilfry, Quasthoff

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I concur with the previous reviewer on all points except Ruth Ziesak, and then only to say that her voice (and not just THIS performance) is one I readily enjoy. She has a beautiful sounding, 'silvery' voice that is in itself enjoyable but her classy performance and genuine artistry add to its merit. The role is very touchingly and convincingly portrayed.

The remainder of the cast are excellent. The duo of Balthasar (Hiroyuki Ijichi) and Caspar (Josef Krenmair) reveals that one of them has a noticeable tremble in the voice that is ...shall we say 'unique'. There's not much point reiterating an already good review but being a Lipovsek fan, I must sound my admiration. No reflection on her true character but she EXCELS in these roles: Marjina (Boris Godinov), Marfa (Khovanshchina), Fricka (Die Walkure), Witch (Hansel und Gretel), Sphinx (Oedipe)... magical/mystical/malevolent characters. Here, the one word for "Ich sah ein Kind im Traum" is 'chilling!'

Well recommended. A beautiful opera and a lovely performance.

Harnoncourt shapes the orchestra throughout in a vivacious, nearly always thrilling reading. The numerous shadings and nuances show (exquisitely) what Schumann's intent must have been. From the overture to the final curtain this is a powerful musical work. It only makes sense that the creator of some of the world's most exquisite songs should have crafted an opera that is just so musically juicy. It only makes me sad that he (like Beethoven) didn't return to this genre again. If this was a first effort - goodness gracious what possibly could he have done had he kept writing operas?

Ruth Ziesak is the possessor of the type of voice I enjoy the least but sings with remarkable artistry, impeccable detail to
the text and even though the voice is small she's able to convincingly portray Genoveva's confusion, despair and honor.

Rodney Gilfry's utterances are so commandingly sung with a deep resonance that sounds both powerful and assured.

Deon van der Walt's ultra-light tenors is probably best suited to recital work, yet this performance finds him impassioned throughout, and it is a lovely sound - even when he's warring in his duet with Margaretha the enormous sounding Marjana Livpovsek. van der Walt actually sounds as if ready to explode. And Lipovsek? She sounds just damned glorious, is all.

Lipovsek is given one of opera's great entrance scenes and her giant voice and slavic vibrato gives it a thrilling "will she/won't she" make it qualities. Her act 3 ending scene w/Quasthoff is hair raising.

Thomas Quasthoff is pure WOW!!! This guy's voice is just thrilling. A rich, warm quality that also has a lively
"buzz" to it that cuts right to the heart.

The recitatives are vibrantly sung, the acting there in each voice making them as exciting as the musical "numbers" themselves.

Schumann has written a score of beauty that doesn't seem to have a weak link in it. The choruses are about as exciting as any you'll hear - the finale of the first scene with the soldiers going off to war, the town people cheering them on and the central characters is glorious. The offstage chorus of women in "Abendlufte kuhlend weh'n" is just a stunning effect with
Schumann writing appropriately gauzy music that goes beyond the aural and takes on another quality (visual?) There are many such touches throughout.

I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this recording.

I don't want to spend too long rehearsing the customary reasons for the current status of this, Schumann's only opera, as quasi-neglected. First performed in 1850 to a lukewarm reception, it has since been accorded respectful indifference as lacking much dramatic interest, owing to an over-decorous libretto by the composer himself and a very conventional, uneventful plot consisting of medieval-gothic hokum concerning dastardly deeds and passions with a bit of supernatural intervention thrown in. The overture is performed quite often as satisfying concert piece but doesn't seem to have much emotional connection with the "action"(sic) which follows, despite introducing various leitmotifs. Taken in isolation, much of Schumann's music is rather lovely and sometimes even takes surprisingly inventive forms, but I really cannot get as excited as some previous reviewers about this recording, nor can I imagine listening to it very often. One well crafted number succeeds another and we hear many echoes of Weber and Mendelssohn but nothing sets the pulse racing. I have much the same reaction to the more episodic and fragmentary "Scenes from Goethe's Faust" which seems to aspire to more passion than actually emerges - whereas I find "Das Paradies und die Peri", which is less ambitious in its scope and aims, absolutely charming, perhaps because it both aspires to less and sits more comfortably within the scope of Schumann's gifts and ambit. I furthermore suspect that "Genoveva" has more of a future in the occasional concert performance than on stage. I think it a bit disingenuous of other reviewers to bang on about this being a masterpiece waiting to be rediscovered when despite its merits its clearly nothing of the sort, even in a recording such as this which gives it advocacy of high quality.

Part of my disaffection stems from a dislike of the late Deon van der Walt's very light tenor, which is so falsetto biased that he often sounds like a radio crooner; in an opera already rather fey of nature a more assertive sound might have beefed up the character of Golo. The contrast between his very "white" voice and Lipovsek's gutsy witch is almost comical. Ruth Ziesak also has a light silvery voice of the Janowitz variety but without that great artist's incisiveness and heft when required. The supporting cast is good, especially Quasthoff in a relatively minor role. Harnoncourt's direction is sensitive - he clearly admires the piece - but those HIP strings do occasionally whine along with van der Walt's tenor; the Romantic element in the music of Schumann - who straddled two worlds between Mendelssohn and Wagner - clearly requires a meatier tone with some vibrato.

The new Warner re-issue is cheap but we are as usual directed to a website for the libretto in German only and the track cues are both too few and misleading. I concede that subsequent, further listening to this set might permit me to appreciate its conventional, rather anodyne charms more than at present.

Schumann's only opera was a failure at its premiere in 1850 and has rarely been revived since. The failure must in part be blamed on Schumann's lack of practical experience with stage works - it doesn't help that the libretto is fairly weak either (Schumann sought but failed to follow Wagner's advice). In fact, the work cannot be ranked among Schumann's more inspired and original compositions, mostly because of slightly awkward dramatic pacing - but there are some wonderful themes and a wealth of masterly music here as well, and Harnoncourt's 1997 revival is certainly very welcome.

The famous overture is of course a highlight, and already from the start is Harnoncourt's Chamber Orchestra of Europe striking in their colorful spontaneity and elán. And throughout Harnoncourt's pacing of the work, relatively quick and almost fervent, provides for a thoroughly engaging listening experience. On the other hand, the drive and power seem to be to be of a very classical kind and Harnoncourt underplays the work's romantic passion. The Chamber Orchestra responds with an impressive attention to detail and the choral singing from the Arnold Schoenberg Choir is very good.

One of the main shortcomings of the opera is the lack of any really strong and memorable arias. Teldec has, however, assembled a very impressive cast; Ruth Ziesak is outstanding in the title role, with a pure and clear and voice and wonderful characterization. Marjana Lipovsek is equally characterful, and often cruelly intense as Margaretha. As for the male roles, Oliver Widmer makes as much as possible out of Count Siegfried, but the most impressive singing comes from the steady but expressive Deon van der Walt as Golo (unless one counts Quasthoff's superb contribution in the minor role of Drago).

I have not heard the main alternative version, the Kurt Masur one from 1970, which sports Schreier and Fischer-Dieskau in the leading male roles. While Harnoncourt's version is feisty and fiery, he does - as mentioned - sell the work a little short on passion, and it is certainly conceivable that Masur is more satisfying in that respect. In any case, Teldec's sound is fairly good if a little recessed and the version at hand is guaranteed to provide a lot of listening pleasure.