Fantasie C-Dur    op.posth. 195 / D 934  (1827)
1. Andante molto
2. Allegretto
3. Andantino (Tema con variazioni)
4. Tempo primo
5. Allegro vivace – Allegretto – Presto
    Rondo h-Moll    op. 70 / D 895    (1826)
6. Andante
7. Allegro
    Sonate A-Dur    op.posth. 162 / D 574   (1817)
8. Allegro moderato
9. Scherzo
10. Andantino
11. Allegro vivace

Carolin Widmann - violin
Alexander Lonquich –piano

This insightful recording of Franz Schubert's music is also a first documentation of the musical alliance between violinist Carolin Widmann and pianist Alexander Lonquich, which has been gathering momentum over the last four years. They first came together to play Messiaen in Salzburg in 2008. The following year a Lonquich solo recital in Rome convinced Widmann that they should collaborate on Schubert's music for violin and piano.

In this album, recorded at Historic concert hall Reitstadl Neumarkt, the duo plays the C-Major fantasy of 1827 and the Violin Sonata in A of 1817, as well as the B minor Rondo of 1826. If the influence of Beethoven is still marked in the 1817 sonata, the 1826 and 1827 pieces remain striking in their originality. Written at the request of Viennese virtuosi Josef Slawik and Karl Maria von Bocklet, they are pieces that transcend `mere' virtuosity. Lonquich describes them as "paradoxical", compositions conceived as technical which nonetheless feel "thoroughly metaphysical": "Schubert is music's great Wanderer. He goes through highs and lows and subtle harmonic progressions. He's invariably spoken of as the great writer of melodies, yet there is always extraordinary harmonic tension at work as well." ---Editorial Review

Carolin Widmann otrzymała mnóstwo nagród i wyróżnień za swoje wykonania sonat skrzypcowych Schumanna, jak również za recital “Phantasy of spring” z muzyką Feldmana, Zimmermanna, Schoenberga i Xenakisa. Na najnowszym albumie przykuwa ogromna uwagę wykonaniami utworów Franza Schuberta. Carolin Widmann i pianista Aleksander Lonquich grają Fantazję C-dur z 1827 r., Sonatę skrzypcową A-dur z 1817, oraz Rondo b-moll z 1826 r. Ta ostatnia to jedyna opublikowana za życia Schuberta kompozycja. Widmann i Lonquich to duet znakomitych muzików i gra na najwyższym poziomie artystycznym. ---empik.com

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Act I

01 Ouverture / Orchester			play
02 Der runde Silberfaden / Jungfrauen, Emma
03 O moeg'auf froher Hoffnung Schwingen / Eginhard, Emma
04 Zu hohen Ruhmespforten / Orchester, Chor
05 Die Beute lass, o Herr, die Krieger teilen / Ogier, Roland, Karl, Chor
06 Des Krieges Los hat euch mir uebergeben / Karl, Chor
07 Wer bistdu, dessen tiefgesenkter Blick / Karl, Roland, Fierrabras
08 Der Landestoechter fromme Pflichten / Emma, Jungfrauen; Karl, Fierrabras, Roland, Chor
09 Dem Erfolg vertrauen / Ritter, Ogier, Karl; Emma, Eginhard, Fierrabras, Roland
10 Zu hohen Ruhmespforten / Orchester, Chor
11 Lass uns mutvoll hoffen / Fierrabras, Roland
12 Der Abend sinkt auf stiller Flur / Eginhard, Emma
13 Was quaelst du mich, o Missgeschick!... / Fierrabras
14 Doch horch! Was regt sich noch in stiller Nacht? / Fierrabras, Maennerchor, Emma, Eginhard
15 Ha, hier waltet ein Verrat! / Fierrabras, Eginhard, Emma
16 Nun fasset Mut! / Fierrabras, Emma
17 Ha! - Wie, Emma hier? / Emma, Fierrabras, Karl
18 Dich rief ich, Eginhard / Karl, Eginhard, Emma, Fierrabras
19 Fort zum Siegesreigen / Ritter; Emma, Eginhard, Fierrabras, Karl

Act II

20 Im jungen Morgenstrahle / Eginhard, Roland; Ritter
21 Beschossen ist's, ich loese seine Ketten! / Eginhard, Brutamonte, Mauren	play
22 Was ist ihm geschehn? / Roland, Ogier; Ritter
23 Weit ueber Glanz und Erdenschimmer / Florinda, Maragond
24 Verderben denn und Fluch / Boland, Florinda, Maragond, Eginhard, Brutamonte
25 Lass Friede in die Hallen / Chor
26 Im Tode sollt ihr buessen / Boland, Roland, Florinda; Ritter, Mauren
27 Sie sollen erblassen in heimlicher Not / Boland, Mauren, Florinda, Roland, Ritter
28 Die Brust, gebeugt von Sorgen / Florinda
29 O teures Vaterland! / Eginhard, Ogier, Roland; Ritter
30 Ha! Was ist das? / Ritter, Olivier, Ogier, Roland, Florinda
31 Selbst an des Grabes Rande / Roland, Florinda; Ritter
32 Der Hoffnung Strahl, den du gegeben / Ritter, Ogier, Roland, Florinda, Eginhard
33 Uns fuehrt der Vorsicht weise Hand / Eginhard, Roland, Florinda; Ritter
34 Schuetzt ihn, ihr ew'gen Maechte! / Florinda, Ritter

Act III

35 Bald toenet der Reigen / Jungfrauen, Emma
36 Bald wird es klar / Karl, Emma, Fierrabras
37 Wo ist mein koeniglicher Herr? / Eginhard, Emma, Fierrabras, Karl
38 Wenn hoch im Wolkensitze / Fierrabras, Eginhar, Emma
39 Des Jammers herbe Qualen / Florinda, Ritter
40 Welch neuer Schreck! / Florinda, Olivier, Ritter			play
41 Der Rache Opfer fallen / Mauren
42 Erbarmen fleht zu deinen Fuessen / Florinda, Boland; Ritter, Mauren, Roland
43 Er ist mein Vater, halte ein! / Fierrabras, Florinda; Ritter
44 Der Sieg begleitet meine tapfern Heere / Karl, Boland; Eginhard, Emma, Fierrabras, Florinda, Roland; Chor
45 Vereint durch Bruderbande / Karl; Tutti

Koenig Karl - Robert Holl
Emma - Karita Mattila
Roland - Thomas Hampson
Eginhard - Robert Gambill
Boland - Laszlo Polgar
Fierrabras - Josef Protschka
Florinda - Cheryl Studer
Maragond - Brigitte Baileys
Brutamonte - Hartmut Welker

Arnold Schoenberg Chor, chorus master Erwin Ortner
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, 
Claudio Abbado - conductor
Recorded in 1988

Fierrabras is a three-act opera written by the composer Franz Schubert in 1823, to a libretto by Josef Kupelwieser, the general manager of the Theater am Kärntnertor (Vienna's Court Opera Theatre). Along with the earlier Alfonso und Estrella, composed in 1822, it marks Schubert's attempt to compose grand Romantic opera in German, departing from the Singspiel tradition.

The Kärntnertor Theater in 1822 commissioned operas from Schubert and Carl Maria von Weber in a drive to increase the number of German operas in repertoire. Schubert fulfilled his commission with Fierrabras, von Weber his with Euryanthe. The Italian theatre director Domenico Barbaja, who had taken over the theatre in 1821, at the same time brought Rossini to Vienna to oversee production of several of his operas at the Kärntnertor Theater. Rossini's operas were so popular that Euryanthe unsuccessfully premiered in October 1823, resulting in the shelving of plans to stage Fierrabras, and the resignation of Josef Kupelwieser as director of the theater, complaining of "arrogance" on the part of Barbaja. As a result, Schubert never saw the opera staged, or even received payment for his work.

On May 7, 1835 (seven years after Schubert's death), at the Theater in der Josefstadt, Vienna, a concert-version of several numbers was staged. The work is generally considered to suffer from an extremely weak libretto. Its first full performance was not until 1897, despite "much magnificent music in Schubert’s score", when it was given at the Hoftheater Karlsruhe under the direction of Felix Mottl. The 1897 performance was edited by Mottl for the tastes of the day, resulting in scenes being cut, and ballet interludes injected into the performance.

In the 20th century, the opera received a radio broadcast from Brussels on January 14, 1926. A London concert of November 6, 1938 featured excerpts from the work. An abridged version of the opera was given in a 1959 radio broadcast from Bern, and later issued on record. The first British performance was a Radio 3 broadcast on April 10, 1971.[6] Concert versions of the opera were presented in 1978 in Perugia, and in 1980 in Aachen, and staged revivals (presumably of the Mottl version) took place in the early 1980s in Philadelphia, Augsburg, and Hermance. In 1988, Claudio Abbado directed performances of a complete staging of the opera (likely the first performances that used all of Schubert's music) at the Theater an der Wien, which formed the basis of the first complete recording of the work.

Other than being the only one of the heroes who finishes up without a girl, his is not even one of the most distinctive parts and he gets nothing to sing in Act II. Florinda is a more dramatic role than the rest put together despite not appearing in Act I. The basis of the plot is as follows:- Emma daughter of Charlemagne secretly loves Eginhard who is out of favour with her father who is at war with the Moors. In Charlemagne's victorious retinue is Roland who has captured Fierrabras son of the Moorish Prince Boland. Fierrabras secretly loves Emma since he met her in Italy 4 years previously. Roland secretly loves Florinda sister of Fierrabras after meeting her in Italy at the same time. Fierrabras is gutted to find that Emma loves Eginhard, but tries to protect their secret from Charlemagne who gets the idea that Fierrabras must have seduced Emma. Got all that? Oliver is also in Charlemagne's retinue but has only a minor part compared with Roland who is on no account to be confused with Boland. To my Anglophone ears Boland seems an odd name to come from that part of the world, but he is not alone in that -- the minor Latin epic poet Silius Italicus has a Carthaginian soothsayer called Bogus. Another intriguing touch is that Boland plans to burn his foes at the stake. I thought it was Christians who did that.

In Act II some melodramatic, if not exactly dramatic, action gets going. It seems to have been Liszt who originally said that Schubert could not compose operas. I am not about to contradict the great man, but a more charitable view could see his statement as a bit of a sweeper. The very helpful liner notes say very sensibly that Fierrabras probably makes a good spectacular, and that combined with the music, which after all is not by just anyone, makes it perfectly viable on its own terms. Mozart or Verdi, born dramatists both, would probably have struggled to give individuality to the characters, and Schubert was only feeling his way in opera. I for one would certainly go to see it if I got the chance.

The music is good without being exactly the greatest Schubert. Act I is mainly ensembles and you could well find some new favourite Schubert tunes among them if the score is new to you. Act II, as well as having some real action, starts with the best tune of all oddly prefaced with a single all-together-now chord, much the way Jimmy Shand and his Band used to start everything. The singing strikes me as very good without any of it being exceptional, and the recording ditto. In the last resort this is a major piece of out-of-the-way Schubert. I believe he had the greatest purely musical gift any man ever had, and he would surely have achieved things unthinkable, in this form as in the others, had he lived. The liner gives the first line of each number followed by a summary of the rest rather than the full libretto, which strikes me as admirably practical. So 5 stars and no nitpicking. ---David Bryson

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01. Wandrers Nachtlied I D 224       [1'47]  
    »Der du von dem Himmel bist« 
02. Wandrers Nachtlied II D 768      [2'33] 
    »Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh«   
03. Ganymed D 544                    [4'42] 
04. Jägers Abendlied D 368           [2'32] 
05. An Schwager Kronos D 369         [3'06] 
06. Meeres Stille D 216              [2'25] 
07. Prometheus D 674                 [5'34] 
    Gesänge des Harfners aus  
    Goethes »Wilhelm Meister« : 
08. Harfenspieler I D 478            [4'28]  
    »Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt« 
09. Harfenspieler III D 480          [4'57]
    »Wer nie sein Brot mit Tränen aß« 
10. Harfenspieler II D 479           [2'10] 
    "An die Tüten will ich schleichen«
11. An den Mond D 296                [4'53]
12. Auf dem See D 543                [3'32] 
13. Erster Verlust D 226             [1'56]
14. Der Musensohn D 764              [2'02]
15. Rastlose Liebe D 138             [1'22]
16. Nähe des Geliebten D 162         [3'27]
17. Heidenröslein D 257              [1'46]   
18. Wonne der Wehmut D 260           [1'05]   
19. Erlkönig D 328                   [4'19]
20. Der König in Thule D 367         [3'00]   
21. Geheimes D 719                   [1'48]   
22. Grenzen der Menschheit D 716     [8'06]   
23. Am Flusse D 766                  [1'13]   
24. Willkommen und Abschied D 767    [3'17]

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - Baritone 
Jörg Demus – piano (01-14) 
Gerald Moore – piano (15-24)

Fischer-Dieskau enjoyed the services of many fine accompanists in his career; and though Gerald Moore is the name linked most closely to his, he made some of his best Lieder recordings with Jörg Demus. DG has already reissued, in its "Originals" series, the 1965 Winterreise, a performance of the cycle as close as possible to deserving the adjective "definitive." Now we have the 1959 recital of 14 Goethe settings, recorded when the baritone was at his vocal peak. He begins audaciously, with the two Wandrers Nachtlieder, not grabbing us by the throat but coaxing us gently into his world. The beauty of his soft singing is spellbinding and continues to be so through the first four songs, and yet there are still reserves of sweetness he doesn't tap until he comes to the stanza-endings of Jägers Abendlied. With the more extrovert An Schwager Kronos, he begins to delve further into his arsenal of tonal resources. The variety here is astonishing, the third verse contrasting tellingly with the first two; Demus is particularly sparkling in the fifth, capturing to perfection the evocation of the "sea of fire foaming in my eyes." Meeres Stille is, once again, all repose, but then Prometheus strides heroically onto the stage, proud and defiant without exaggeration or bluster. The third and second Harfenspieler songs (sung in that order) are again staggering in their range of vocal color. When the baritone repeats "Wer nie sein Brot mit Tränen ass" for the second time, the tender raptness of the tone is really surprising, even though we should have known what to expect. Auf dem See is serenely simple, except for the sudden glow at the line "Goldne Träume, kommt ihr wieder — it becomes the jewel at the heart of the poem. Even Der Musensohn, which F-D would attack rather too heartily later in his career, is blithe and unstrained, an upbeat ending to an absorbing program.

To fill out the disc, 10 Goethe songs are borrowed from the huge 1969-70 Schubert collection made with Moore and already reissued. It might have made more sense to rescue from oblivion the six songs with Demus that filled out the LP issue of Winterreise, but I can understand why DG wanted to extend the Goethe theme with such favorites as Nähe des Geliebtens, Heidenröslein, and Erlkönig (though the 1969 account of the last-named is not Fischer-Dieskau's—or Moore's—most exciting and confident). --- Ralph V. Lucano, FANFARE

This collection of the Goethelieder is genuinely the "gold standard" against which all others should be judged. I say this because not only have I heard the majority of the works by other baritones (and "Der Erlkonig" performed by two mezzo-sopranos): however, I've followed the vocal development of Fischer-Deskau from the earliest CD I could find (from an EMI CD containing Der Erlko"nig from 1951 according to the booklet's timeline--with Gerald Moore on piano.) Another recording dates from the mid 1960's (Erlko"nig, for example, dated as 1965--again, Gerald Moore, pianist.) However, when I heard this collection of Schubert's Goethelieder, I was entranced. Selections 1-14 feature Jo"rg Demus as pianist (with whom Fischer-Deskau formed a close professional and personal relationxhip) and Gerald Moore as pianist on selections 15-24. Fischer-Dieskau's "Heidenro"slien" is so good that even I play it over and over (although I've heard it so much...Fischer-Deskau gives it a beautiful rendition.) His "Erlko"nig" is such that he gets the four voices of the narrator, the child, the father, and the Erlko"nig so well it is astonishing. Gerald Moore also performs the initial ascending triplet figures on the left hand in paralell octaves so well that it sounds like one pianist is playing the right hand triplet figures whereas another pianist is using two hands to play the left parallel octaves!! This is a MUST HAVE for Schubert/Fischer-Deskau/piano lovers!! --- Dr. Robert S. Bean, amazon.com

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CD 1                                                   [1.12'43"]
   Impromptus, op. 90, D. 899 

01 No. 1 in C minor - c-moll - en ut mineur                9'20''
02 No. 2 in E flat - Es-dur - en mi bémol majeur           4'32''
03 No. 3 in G flat - Ges-dur - en sol bémol majeur         5'48''
04 No. 4 in A flat - As-dur - en la bémol majeur           7'38''

   Impromptus, op. posth. 142, D. 935 

05 No. 1 in F minor - f-moll - en fa mineur               11'06''
06 No. 2 in A flat - As-dur - en la bémol majeur           5'44''
07 No. 3 in B flat - B-dur - en si bémol majeur           11'51''
08 No. 4 in F minor - f-moll - en fa mineur                5'27''

09 16 German Dances, op. 33, D. 783                       10'42''
      Deutsche Tänze - Danses allemandes

CD 2                                                   [1.02'17"]
   3 Klavierstücke (Impromptus), D. 946 

01 No. 1 in E flat minor - es-moll - en mi bémol mineur    8'57''
02 No. 2 in E flat - Es-dur - en mi bémol majeur           9'32''
03 No. 3 in C - C-dur - en ut majeur                       4'59''

   6 Moments musicaux, op. 94, D. 780
   
04 No. 1 in C - Moderato - C-dur - en ut majeur            5'09''
05 No. 2 in A flat - Andantino - As-dur                    6'28''
   en la bémol majeur
06 No. 3 in F minor - Allegro moderato - f-moll            1'40''
   en fa mineur
07 No. 4 in C sharp minor - Moderato - cis-moll            5'19''
   en ut dièse mineur
08 No. 5 in F minor - Allegro vivace - f-moll              2'08''
   en fa mineur
09 No. 6 in A flat - Allegretto - As-dur                   7'05''
   en la bémol majeur
   
10 12 German Dances, op. posth. 171, D. 790               10'35''
   Deutsche Tänze - Danses allemandes
   
   Alfred Brendel - piano – Klavier

Even at the peak of his early super-virtuoso period, Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel had a soft spot for Schubert. While his Pictures at the Exhibition was breathtaking and his Beethoven sonatas were awe-inspiring, it was his Schubert that let listeners know Brendel had a heart. Recorded in Vienna for Vox in 1967, these performances of both groups of Impromptus, the four great D. 899 set and the four even greater D. 935 set, plus the last four of the Six Moments Musicaux, D. 780, are Brendel at his most persuasively poetic. This is not to say that virtuosity is absent from his playing. The clarity of his right-hand arabesques, the precision of his left-hand octaves, and the ideal balance between his hands amply demonstrate Brendel's keyboard prowess. But it is the soulfulness of Brendel's playing that is most impressive, the way he shapes a phrase, finesses a dynamic, or inflects a rhythm so that the maximum expressive meaning of the music is made manifest. While some listeners might still favor the venerable Schnabel and Fischer recordings or the later Perahia or Schiff recordings, for fans of the music and of the pianist, this disc deserves to be heard. Vox's stereo sound is a bit hard and a little close, but clear and honest. ---James Leonard, Rovi

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1 	An Die Musik D 547 	2:07
2 	Erlkönig D 328 	3:49
3 	Du Bist Die Ruh' D 776 	3:09
4 	Greisengesang D 778 	6:02
5 	An Den Mond D 296 	3:54
6 	Prometheus D 674 	5:09
7 	Nacht Und Träume D 827 	2:38

	Gesänge Des Harfners D 478 	
8 	No. 1: Wer Sich Der Einsamkeit Ergibt 	3:52
9 	No. 2: Wer Nie Sein Brot Mit Tränen Aß 	4:11
10 	No. 3: An Die Türen Will Ich Schleichen 	2:06

11 	Gruppe Aus Dem Tartarus D 583 	3:01
12 	Tränenregen D 795 No. 10 	5:35
13 	Der Wegweiser D 911 No. 20 	4:06
14 	Memnon D 541 	3:38
15 	Ihr Bild D 957 No. 9 	2:42
16 	Litaney Auf Das Fest Aller Seelen D 343 	2:41
17 	Im Abendrot D 799 	3:36

Christian Elsner - tenor
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Marek Janowski - conductor

Given his magnificent achievement in the field of art song, and the vast volume and consistently high quality of his Lieder œuvre, it is not surprising that the songs of Schubert have been recorded numerous times. It is not surprising either that many composers, such as Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Benjamin Britten, Hector Berlioz, Max Reger, and Anton Webern made arrangements of Schubert’s songs. What is surprising, however, is the fact that these arrangements – made by some of the greatest composers in musical history – are so seldom heard either in concert or on record.

With the release of this album, one hopes that the situation will change. It combines seventeen Schubert compositions, of which thirteen were orchestrated by the late-romantic German composer Max Reger, and the remaining four by a member of the Second Viennese School, Anton Webern. Listening to these songs, one will discover that the arrangements are made with such craftsmanship that they themselves became unparalleled works of art. The performers on this SACD are the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the German tenor Christian Elsner, conducted by Marek Janowski. ---chandos.net

When it comes to songs, one need not have any qualm in describing Franz Schubert as the perfect “prolific composer.” More than 600 songs –art songs (or Lieder) with piano accompaniment, to be precise – flowed from his immensely productive quill. In fact, it is a miracle that basically defies rational argument that the quality of the pieces throughout this well-nigh unbelievable volume of work is almost consistently of the highest level. Schubert’s magnificent achievement in the field of art song has often been praised and acknowledged (and not only by musicologists), and the recordings of his songs and song cycles are legion.

This makes it all the more astonishing to discover that, to date, arrangements by other composers of these songs are grossly under-represented, both on the concert platform and in the recording studio, with but a few above-average recordings of these orchestrations in existence. Does that perhaps allow us to conclude that these versions cannot hold their own against the high level of the original? Let’s take a good look at the “arrangers”: these include composers of the calibre of Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Benjamin Britten, Hector Berlioz, and later on, Max Reger and Anton Webern. Let’s face it, none of them belong in the “Kleinmeister” (= lesser composer) category: and every single one was an excellent orchestrator. The rather indifferent interest in the orchestrations is probably due to the fact that an arrangement on the whole is not valued as highly as an original composition. ---pentatone.nativedsd.com

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0. Applause
1. 20 Ländler D 366 und D 814 (arr. by Johannes Brahms, 1869)
2. Divertissement à l'hongroise g-Moll, D 818
3. 8 Variationen über ein eigenes Thema As-Dur, D 813

Piano-Duo Tal & Groethuysen (on one piano):
Yaara Tal (Israel)
Andreas Groethuysen (Germany)

Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele 2016
Schwetzingen castle, Mozartsaal, 18.05.2016
FM broadcast SWR2-Kultur, 18.05.2016

Die israelische Pianistin Yaara Tal und ihr deutscher Partner Andreas Groethuysen wollten sich nur provisorisch für ein einziges Klavierkonzert zusammentun. Das ist mittlerweile 30 Jahre her. Heute bilden Yaara Tal & Andreas Groethuysen eines der weltweit führenden und mehrfach ausgezeichneten Klavierduos. Entdeckungsfreudig spielt sich dieses Dream-Team durch das vierhändige Klavierrepertoire und garantiert so durchweg spannende Konzertprogramme.

In Schwetzingen wenden sich die beiden Interpreten wieder einem Komponisten zu, dessen Werk ein wichtiger Dreh- und Angelpunkt des vierhändigen Klavierkosmos ist. Keiner vor oder nach Franz Schubert hat dieser Besetzung so viel Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt. Entstanden sind Werke, an denen kein Pianoduo, das etwas auf sich hält, vorbeikommt. Brahms' Bearbeitung der Ländler D 366 und D 814 zeigt dazu noch einen ganz anderen Ausschnitt von Schuberts Klaviermusik. ---swr.de

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1. Schwanengesang, D.957: I. Liebesbotschaft
2. Schwanengesang, D.957: II. Kriegers Ahnung
3. Schwanengesang, D.957: III. Fruhlingssehnsucht
4. Schwanengesang, D.957: IV. Standchen
5. Schwanengesang, D.957: V. Aufenthalt
6. Schwanengesang, D.957: VI. In Der Ferne
7. Schwanengesang, D.957: VII. Abschied
8. Schwanengesang, D.957: VIII. Der Atlas
9. Schwanengesang, D.957: IX. Ihr Bild
10. Schwanengesang, D.957: X. Das Fischermadchen
11. Schwanengesang, D.957: XI. Die Stadt
12. Schwanengesang, D.957: XII. Am Meer
13. Schwanengesang, D.957: XIII. Der Doppelganger
14. Schwanengesang, D.957: XIV. Die Taubenpost
15. Erlkonig, D.328
16. Standchen, D.889
17. Nacht Und Traume, D.827
18. Du Bist Die Ruh, D.776

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - baritone
Gerald Moore - piano

There is more to being a great composer than just a purely musical gift, as Shaw said more than once, and there is more to these songs than just divine melody. However when all's said and done the musical gift is the basis of it all, and Schubert's purely musical endowment was, in my own view, the greatest that any human being ever had. Brahms had a word for it again, in a letter where he asks rhetorically `Does any composer so consistently scale the heights?' As with Mozart, there is a numinous quality to Schubert - we often seem to be in the presence of someone or something using the composer as a mouthpiece, but who or what this agency might have been we are left to wonder. On Schubert's tombstone it says that music has here buried a great treasure and still greater hopes. He would surely have achieved things completely unthinkable if he had lived. There are a few welcome extras here too. Moore was probably not the most proficient technician among accompanists, but his handling of the piano part in the Erlking, in its special way one of the hardest things in the entire literature of the piano, is a thing to remember. In one of his books he explains in detail the various expedients and shifts that he resorted to, but what puts his handling of it in a class of its own for me is first of all the pace he adopts, and secondly the sublime way in which he lets the tension relax without losing speed as he sets the scene for the Erlking's first song. I have heard those fiendish triplets given more evenly, but never quite the sense of drumming hooves conveyed so well, with four good marked beats to the bar and not too fast - the real sense of panic needs to be reserved for the end. Once again Fischer-Dieskau rises above the competition by the sheer sinister, evil beauty of his tone as the Erlking, with no cheap effects - Goethe's Erlking makes pretty speeches and Schubert's Erlking sings pretty tunes with no pantomime cackling. ---amazon.com

This EMI "Great Recordings of the Century" reissue contains a classic performance of Schubert's song cycle Schwanengesang D.957, and a further group of four songs, "Erlkönig" (D.328), "Ständchen" (D.957), "Nacht und Träume" (D.827), and "Du bist die Ruh" (D.776), performed by baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with Gerald Moore at the piano. Fischer-Dieskau "had only to sing one phrase before I knew I was in the presence of a master", wrote accompanist Gerald Moore (in his autobiography, Am I too loud?), referring to the first of his many recording sessions with Fischer-Dieskau in October 1951, a session that produced a number of the tracks on this recording. Their earliest documentation of Schubert's Schwanengesang (the first of Fischer-Dieskau's five) was assembled piecemeal from songs taped during four widely-spaced sessions held between 1951 and 1958. The recording itself may be said to have been a compilation, but then as John Steane points out in his booklet note, so is the cycle itself, drawing as it does on texts by six different authors.

It's also interesting to note that the performance was recorded at two different locations and was supervised variously by three producers; yet the overall result is thoroughly consistent, both sonically and musically. Through the years, Fischer-Dieskau's view of the cycle also seemed to alter very little, and so you'll find few points of divergence between this account and his 1971 Deutsche Grammophon remake, also with Moore. The DG transfer largely eliminates tape hiss, which still persists on this EMI remastering, though it's unlikely to affect listening pleasure. Both performances are largely without parallel, and indeed any rehearing of this EMI traversal should explain Moore's conviction that Fischer-Dieskau's artistry "takes me deeper into the heart of Schubert than I have ever been before." ---Michael Jameson, ClassicsToday

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1) 1. Allegro moderato (11:57)
2) 2. Adagio (4:35)
3) 3. Allegretto (9:24)

Martha Argerich, Piano
Mischa Maisky, Cello

The guitarre d'amour, or arpeggione as it came to be known, was invented sometime during 1823 or 1824 by the respected Viennese guitar maker Johann Georg Stauffer. The instrument -- a kind of enlarged guitar that could be bowed, cello-style, due to an altered fingerboard -- was by no means a success; within just a few years of its birth it had for all intents and purposes suffered extinction. To music lovers, however, this short-lived instrumental curiosity will be forever remembered as the vehicle for Franz Schubert's Sonata "per arpeggione" in A minor, D. 821 -- a work now played almost exclusively by violists and cellists, although it exists in arrangements for instruments as far afield as the euphonium.

Schubert composed the "Arpeggione" Sonata in November 1824 shortly after returning from Zseliz, where he had spent his second summer (the first one being in 1818) teaching music to the Count of Esterházy's two daughters. The three-movement Sonata must be altered somewhat if it is to be played on cello or viola: the arpeggione possessed six strings, tuned to the same pitches as a guitar's, and the resulting extended range can cause problems when the piece is transcribed; in most editions, certain portions of the piece are transposed up or down an octave from their original position to avoid the extreme registers. However, Schubert by and large avoided the kind of idiosyncratic arpeggiations that earned the original instrument its nickname, focusing instead on the same focused lyricism that drives a traditional sonata for string instrument and piano; in this way, the work readily adapts to modern performance.

The opening Allegro moderato is built around a wistful melody whose fame is such that many who have never heard or heard of the "Arpeggione" Sonata will find that they recognize the tune. A second theme proceeds in gentle gusts of sixteenth notes; the arpeggione could not play fast notes with much volume at all, and so the Sonata's quicker portions are almost always marked piano or pianissimo.

The Adagio is a rich but introverted musing on an almost hymn-like subject. Schubert places great emphasis on the Neapolitan chord -- a harmony also used to great effect in the opening movement -- during the movement's closing measures, weakening the power of the final cadence and thus inviting the soloist to improvise a brief transition into the final, multi-sectioned Allegretto. ---Blair Johnston, Rovi

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I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Adagio
III. Scherzo. Presto; Trio. Andante sostenuto	play
IV. Allegretto

Mstislav Rostropovich - Cello
Melos String Quartett: Wilhelm Melcher, Ida Bieler, Hermann Voss, Peter Buck.

The String Quintet in C major, D. 956, op. posth. 163, is a piece of chamber music written by Franz Schubert. It was composed during the summer of 1828, two months before his death, and is Schubert's final chamber work. The Quintet was first performed on 17 November 1850 at the Musikverein in Vienna; it was published in 1853. The work is considered one of the greatest chamber music compositions ever written

The work holds the distinction of being the only full-fledged string quintet in Schubert's vast oeuvre. It also stands out for its somewhat unconventional instrumentation, employing two cellos instead of the customary two violas. Most other string quintets follow the example of Mozart and call for an ensemble consisting of the four standard instruments of the string quartet (two violins, viola, and cello), plus a second viola. Schubert, like Luigi Boccherini before him, decided to replace the second viola with an additional cello, thereby enhancing the richness of the quintet texture's lower register. However, Schubert's use of the second cello is very different from Boccherini's, for Boccherini essentially uses the additional cello to create an additional viola line.

The string quintet was completed sometime in September or early October 1828, but it was not published until 1883 or 1884. Schubert submitted it to one of his publishers for consideration, saying that "finally I have written a quintet for 2 violins, 1 viola, and 2 violoncello... the quintet rehearsal will only begin in the next few days. Should any of these compositions by any chance commend themselves to you, please let me know.". Probst replied, asking only to see some of Schubert's vocal works and requesting more popular piano music. Even at this very late stage in Schubert's career, it is obvious that he was regarded as a composer who mainly focused on songs and piano pieces, and was definitely not taken seriously as a chamber music composer.

The violinist Joseph Saunders had the second theme of the first movement carved on his tombstone, and Artur Rubinstein’s wish is to have the second movement played at his funeral.

It is also interesting to note that this piece was composed mere months before Schubert died. For John Reed, the very last chord of the piece anticipates this, ending with a C major chord against a dissonant D-flat. "As Browning's Abt Vogler put it, 'Hark, I have dared and done, for my resting place is found, The C major of this life; so, and now I will try to sleep."

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Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D 759 'Unfinished'
   1. Allegro moderato 
   2. Andante con moto 

Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944 'The Great'
   1. Andante - Allegro ma non troppo — Piu Moto
   2. Andante con moto 
   3. Scherzo. Allegro vivace  Trio 
   4. Finale. Allegro vivace - Allegro vivace

Staatskapelle Dresden
Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor

Sinopoli’s new recording of the Unfinished Symphony makes far more sense than his funereal 1983 version with the Philharmonia. It’s actually over four minutes quicker, and he still includes the first movement repeat. I’m not sure about the huge slowing up for the lyrical second subject, but otherwise this reading is alert and dramatic. Sinopoli finds just the right speed for the flowing Andante con moto, and makes the most of its passionate outbursts. --- Stephen Maddock, BBC Music Magazine

The first movement is a healthy and inspiriting journey's beginning (unusually, Sinopoli starts to accelerate half way through the introductory Andante to arrive at his tempo for the first movement's Allegro). I rather like the way, in the second movement, he drops the pace for the return of the first theme after the 'warning bell' 54 Gramophone October 1993 transition, and gives the marching a heavier burden. MI cares vanish in the Scherzo; leisurely but lively enough, with good shaping of its long paragraphs, and the orchestra's woodwind providing a feast of colour in the Trio. There are hints, in the finale, that DG's preference for a lot of the Dresden Lukaskirche's reverberation in the mix is not ideal for this movement's active textures, though the blurring of the ff ostinato that concludes the first subject (from bar 157, 1'34") is an odd lapse in Sinopoli's otherwise thorough engagement with the movement's rhythms.-- Gramophone, arkivmusic.com

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