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Franz
SCHUBERT (1797–1828) Romantic Poets, Volume 3(Deutsche Schubert-Lied-Edition
26) Lied der Delphine, D857/1 (Schütz) [4:23] Der Blumenbrief, D622 (Schreiber) [2:16] An den Mond in einer Herbstnacht, D614 (Schreiber)
[7:14] Geistliches Lied: Marie/Ich sehe dich … , D658 (Novalis)
[1:23] Hymne: Wenige wissen das Geheimnis, D659 (Novalis)
[7:58] Geistliches Lied: Wenn ich ihn nur habe, D660 (Novalis)
[4:11] Geistliches Lied: Wenn alle untreu werden, D661
(Novalis) [4:31] Geistliches Lied: Ich sag’ es jedem, D662 (Novalis)
[2:11] Nachthymne: Hinüber wall ich, D687 (Novalis) [5:52] Blanka (Das Mädchen), D631 (Friedrich von Schlegel)
[2:08] Vom Mitleiden Mariä, D632 (F. von Schlegel after
Friedrich Spee) [4:21] Die verfehlte Stunde, D409 (August Wilhelm von Schlegel)
[5:05] Lob der Tränen, D711 (August Wilhelm von Schlegel)
[4:46] Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D965 (Wilhelm Müller, von
Chézy)* [11:38] Sibylla Rubens
(soprano); Ulrich Eisenlohr (piano); Nikolaus Friedrich (clarinet)*
rec. Sendersaal, SWR Studio, Karlsruhe, Germany, 6-9 September
2006. DDD
sung texts and English translations can be found at the Naxos
website NAXOS 8.557832 [68:00]
A
while ago I gave a warm welcome to a Schumann disc on Naxos
with Liederalbum für die Jugend (see review),
which the excellent baritone Thomas Bauer shared with Sibylla
Rubens. Now, when Naxos are nearing the completion of the
Schubert cycle, Ms Rubens gets a whole disc to herself and
once again shows that she is among the best female Lieder
singers in her generation. Just as on the Schumann disc one
admires the purity of tone and the musical phrasing. Her
bright twittering soprano is agreeable to listen to and she
is not only good in the lyrical songs. She also invests the
powerful songs with a great deal of drama without for one
moment sacrificing the beauty of her voice.
Apart
from the first two songs and the concluding Der Hirt auf
dem Felsen I can’t remember hearing any of them before
and I found them very satisfying. It seems that Novalis’s
poems inspired Schubert to some really memorable songs and
I became very fond of Marie/Ich sehe dich … (tr. 4)
and Hinüber wall ich (tr. 9). These are definitely
out of Schubert’s top-drawer; I wonder why they are so rarely
performed. A couple of these songs are a bit longer than
the average – songs that exceed four to five minutes may
not hold the listener’s interest. A ‘normal’ length of a
song seems to be the same as a popular song: possible to
squeeze onto a 78rpm side. If that’s a reason it is remarkable
that Der Hirt auf dem Felsen – the only established
masterpiece on this disc – is so frequently heard but there
the inspiration is constantly flowing. Moreover it is not
just a song, it is in effect a chamber music trio where the
soprano voice, the clarinet and the piano are intertwined
in a three-part conversation of equal merit. It is very well
performed here with Nikolaus Friedrich’s smooth and nuanced
playing matching and contrasting with Sibylla Rubens’ brightness.
The
mastermind behind the whole project, Ulrich Eisenlohr, is,
as always, a pliable accompanist and the recording is excellent.
I still think it’s a pity that one has to get the texts and
translations via the internet.
This
is certainly one of the best discs in the series and is worth
seeking out, not only for the excellent singing but also
for some really attractive unknown songs.
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Sibylla Rubens
(soprano); Ulrich Eisenlohr (piano); Nikolaus Friedrich (clarinet)* 
