Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 24 / Dichterliebe, Op. 48 / (7) Lieder ~ Ian Bostridge

Ian Bostridge (Artist), Robert Schumann (Composer), Julius Drake (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Julius Drake
• Composer: Robert Schumann
• Audio CD (March 17, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00000630K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,492 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning!, March 28, 2008

By 

Sean Burns "pian0_player" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 24 / Dichterliebe, Op. 48 / (7) Lieder ~ Ian Bostridge (Audio CD)

I think it is very interesting to read all of the conflicting reviews of this recording. It just goes to show that change is a difficult process (I think it speaks volumes for Bostridge that his recording could stir up so much controversy). For those who want lieder to always sound like the masters of the 20th century than this is probably a bit much. Personally I think Bostridge's instrument is absolutely perfect for this repertoire. He is expressive, poetic and extremely musical. I dont understand the hype with Wunderlich, i have his recording of the Dichterliebe and find it difficult to listen to. Bostridge on the other hand is masterful in his approach. For those that call it flat or boring I think we should remember that this is German chamber music not Italian opera. And while there is a profound expression of love, pain, loneliness, beauty, it is an internal expression. Its not Verdi. So to those that criticize the stylistic choices of Bostridge I have to strongly disagree. As a tenor myself, I cant think of anyone else I would rather sound like. His voice is astounding, and his interpretation is moving and original. Dont get me wrong, Diskau was a master, but so is Bostridge. Its just a different approach. Forget your preconceived notions of what this music is "supposed" to sound like and let the beauty in. He really is a phenomenal tenor. Not to mention that these are some of the very finest lieder ever written, Schumann surely was the greatest master of this form. Buy this recording!

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars My least favorite Liederkreis Op. 24, September 28, 2005

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 24 / Dichterliebe, Op. 48 / (7) Lieder ~ Ian Bostridge (Audio CD)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bostridge leans towards reflection rather than passion, August 16, 2007

By 

jt52 "jt52" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 24 / Dichterliebe, Op. 48 / (7) Lieder ~ Ian Bostridge (Audio CD)

To me, Fischer-Dieskau's much more intense and passionate recording of the Dichterliebe with Brendel remains the standard, but this Bostridge recording of the cycle certainly has its moments. I think the previous reviewer was overemphasizing the puzzlingly unsuccessful performance of "Iche grolle nicht" which is easily the weakest track on the CD. But the recording of song 10 from the cycle "When I hear the sound of song" is soft and tranquil and stunning (and polyphonically conscious) and is the best version of this song I've heard. Overall, I do prefer Bostridge's performance to Wunderlich's famous (and overrated) one.

But we're skirting around the edges of the issue when talking about Dichterliebe - I believe the main impetus for the recording was Bostridge's passion for the Op. 24 Heine Liederkries cycle, a wonderful group of songs that Bostridge interprets with excellence. This cycle has been a discovery for me. From the moment of Bell Jar-like madness of song 3 (I wandered among the trees) to the beautiful melody of 5 (the "Farewell to home" song) to the serene relief of the final song, 9 (Mit Myrten), it is a rich and very attractive set of songs.

A few other notes: if you haven't heard Bostridge's voice, you must. It's simply an amazing instrument. Also, this CD would be worth it for track 11 "Abends am Strand" alone, Schumann's 1960s pop neo-baroque concoction (I'm only half-kidding). And this CD is just plain useful because it contains all 4 songs which Schumann excised from the original version of the "Dichterliebe" and which were published posthumously.

Finally, Julius Drake accompanies marvellously and sensitively.

Highly recommended.