Schubert wrote hundreds
of songs and two cycles, both of which
set poems by Wilhelm Müller. The
second, Winterreise (Winter’s
Journey) of 1827, is often
considered to be greater but Die
schöne Müllerin (The
beautiful miller-girl) is more immediately
accessible. It traces the emotions and
[mis]fortunes of a young lad who falls
in love with the miller’s daughter and
loses her to a rival. Although fundamentally
sad, it is not unremittingly dark in
tone and it contains some of Schubert’s
most haunting melodies. Moreover, they
are strung together in seamless fashion
to become the musical equivalent of
a page turner. Don’t start listening
unless you have over an hour to spare!
This issue, Ian Bostridge’s
second recording of the work, has already
been reviewed enthusiastically by Anne
Ozorio (see link to review below) and
certainly lived up to my prior high
expectations. Bostridge made his previous
highly successful recording of Die
schöne Müllerin for Hyperion
in October 1995. That was part of a
complete edition of Schubert songs with
many artists inspired by one accompanist,
Graham Johnson. Eight years later Mitsuko
Uchida is the partner, fresh from her
own exploration of the major piano works.
Bostridge’s voice does
not seem to have changed greatly during
the interim but he has rethought the
interpretation extensively and goes
deeper at almost every turn. It might
be argued that there is some loss of
spontaneity and youthful freshness,
for example in Mein! – the one
song which seems conspicuously less
successful this time round. Perhaps
it was easier to understand why Bostridge
failed to get the girl last time round
but here the emotions run deeper and
many is the inflection that is more
telling. The fourteenth song (The
Hunter) is a notable tour de
force at breakneck speed. In matters
of tempi, there are generally subtle
differences between the two recordings.
The tendency is that the slower songs
have broadened marginally and the quicker
ones become even more urgent. A similar
trend (by analogy) is discernible with
the dynamics. The greater contrasts
that result are well-demonstrated by
the sixth and seventh songs (which translate
as The curious man and Impatience).
Ultimately, in last three songs, Bostridge
is more overtly tragic, each time at
a slower tempo than before, with overwhelming
cumulative effect.
The contrast between
Johnson, the master accompanist, and
Uchida, the virtuoso soloist, is fascinating.
It is, I think, possible to hear Uchida’s
experience of the great piano sonatas
and there is more partnership than subservience.
Johnson is beyond criticism but I did
not feel that Uchida overplays her hand.
She is most naturally balanced with
the voice and the recording has a bloom
that feels just right. Bostridge writes
the notes himself and provides valuable
personal insights. He seems to see the
work as an equal of Winterreise
– "it stands with the works of
1827-8…. as a sort of artistic miracle".
Listening to this new recording it is
hard to argue with that.
There have been many
recordings of this great cycle and choosing
a single version is difficult. For a
start there is a need to consider baritone
and tenor singers. Although sitting
more naturally for a tenor, one of this
work’s greatest exponents is a baritone
– Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. One of DFD’s
various recordings (from 1968) only
emerged at all about 5 years ago and
is particularly treasurable; Jörg
Demus is the pianist. There is also
a very fine version with Gerald Moore
from 1971. One or other of these discs
is essential for every Schubert-lover
but so too is a tenor version and, in
this respect, Bostridge’s recordings
stand very high. Amongst the competition
I have heard are Pears and Britten from
1959, and Ian and Jennifer Partridge
from 1973. The former is as magnificent
as one would expect but also idiosyncratic
and the latter is an obvious bargain
choice.
If you have it already,
there is no reason to jettison Bostridge’s
earlier recording. As well as being
a very fine version of the cycle it
is probably the best documented – no
mere booklet here but a handsome book
that won’t fit in standard packaging.
Also, the six songs that Schubert didn’t
set from Müller’s cycle are read
… by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; they
are not for everytime listening but
can be programmed out. Nevertheless,
there is still every reason to add this
newcomer to the shelves. I would not
willingly part with any of the versions
mentioned above but, in the final analysis,
Bostridge’s new recording takes current
pride of place.
Patrick C Waller
see also review
by Anne Ozorio March
Recording of the Month
Ian Bostridge (tenor); Mitsuko Uchida (piano).
