Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Scenes from Goethe's Faust (1844-53)
Christian Gerhaher (baritone) – Faust/Doctor Marianus
Christiane Karg (soprano) – Gretchen/Una Poenitentium
Alastair Miles (bass) – Mephistopheles/Böser Geist
Mari Eriksmoen (alto) – Marthe/Sorge
Bernarda Fink (alto) – Mangel/Maria Aegyptiaca/Magna Peccatrix
Andrew Staples (tenor) – Ariel/Pater Ecstaticus
Kurt Rydl (bass) - Pater Profundus
Tareq Nazmi (bass) - Vollendeterer Engel
Knabensolisten und Kammerchor des Augsburger Domsingknaben
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Daniel Harding
rec. live, 18-19 January 2013, Herkulessaal der Residenz, Munich,
BR KLASSIK 900122 [72:40 + 43:00]
Schumann’s Scenes from Goethe's Faust is
a work that almost defies categorisation. It’s most certainly not an
opera, even though it has its dramatic moments. Nor does it sit easily in
the oratorio heritage. In this respect it has something in common with another
Faust work: Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust.
Composition of the work occupied Schumann between 1844 and 1853, albeit not
continuously. He composed the closing scene first (1844-48). The first and
second parts of the work followed between 1849 and 1850 but it was not until
1853 that the overture was composed. It’s clear from Vera Baur’s
extensive note that the score – and, indeed, Goethe’s original
text – mattered a great deal to Schumann. That much is evident from
the quality of the music in this work.
The present recording is an extremely fine one, which I enjoyed very much
indeed. One of its many pleasures is the quality of the orchestral contribution.
Schumann’s orchestration used to be sniffed at by some commentators
and decried as too thick and heavy. Happily, that canard has been laid to
rest emphatically, not least thanks to some notable recordings of the symphonies,
including, recently, those by Sir
Simon Rattle and Robin
Ticciati. If anyone still doubts Schumann’s skills as a felicitous
orchestrator then this recording ought to convince them. There’s a considerable
amount of this score that calls for delicacy and finesse and the Symphonieorchester
des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conducted with great understanding by Daniel Harding,
plays superbly throughout.
The choral contribution is also very good indeed. The adult choir is excellent
throughout. They sing with strength and spirit in the ‘Dies Irae’
passages of the Cathedral Scene and I much admired their role in Part
III, especially in the closing Chorus Mysticus. A special word of praise is
due to the boy’s choir. Their singing in Part II has a beguiling freshness
and innocence to it and the soloists who feature in Part III as the Blessed
Boys are assured.
Schumann wrote a large number of solo roles and it’s understandable
that, if only for reasons of economy, the soloists should take more than one
part. In the heading to the review I’ve listed the principal roles that
each sings, though several singers take additional small roles. There isn’t
a weak link in the cast though the veteran Kurt Rydl sounds slightly strained
at times as Pater Profundus and his vibrato is a bit wide for my taste. Andrew
Staples is particularly successful as Ariel, offering light, effortless singing
in those solos; his singing gives great pleasure. He copes well, too, with
the high tessitura of the Pater Ecstaticus solo.
Alastair Miles is very well cast as Mephistopheles and Böser Geist. In the
latter role he sounds suitably menacing and potent during the Cathedral Scene.
Later in Part II his timbre is just right for the insinuating, cleverly dominating
character of Mephistopheles. This is as good a performance as I’ve heard
him give on disc.
I’ve come across Christiane Karg a few times in the past, most notably
in a fine Richard Strauss recital disc last year (review).
Each time I’ve heard her I’ve been impressed and her performance
here is very satisfying. In Scene One she’s a charming foil to Faust
as they dally romantically. In Scene Two she conveys the turmoil and vulnerability
of the young Gretchen. After Scene Three we have to wait quite a while to
hear her again but when she reappears towards the end as Una Poenitentium
her radiant singing means it’s worth the wait.
Dominating the performance is Christian Gerhaher. He’s justly celebrated
as a Lieder singer and here, working on a bigger canvas, he brings
a recitalist’s subtlety and intimacy while at the same time projecting
both the music and his characterisations in a more ‘public’ way.
He’s very fine as Faust – and it’s clear from the interview
with him in the booklet that he’s thought deeply about both the character
and the work as a whole. Yet it seems to me that he saves his finest singing
of all for the role of Doctor Marianus in Part III. His delivery of ‘Hier
ist die Aussicht frei’ is in itself worth the price of the discs. The
start of the solo is rapt and in the section from ‘Höchste Herrscherin
der Welt’, with its rippling harp accompaniment he offers concentrated
beauty of tone and a wonderful sense of line. This marvellous solo contains
music that is simple and at the same time sophisticated and Gerhaher’s
performance perfectly complements Schumann’s achievement. The great
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau on the Benjamin Britten recording is a little more
overtly intense than Gerhaher and, as usual with that singer, a great deal
is made of the words – which isn’t always to everyone’s
taste. I wouldn’t dream of saying that one of these fine singers is
“better” than the other in this exquisite solo; both offer different
and rewarding perspectives but I hugely admire Gerhaher’s performance
of it. The rest of his contributions to this recording are just as admirable.
Benjamin Britten’s 1972 studio recording is a magnificent achievement.
He had a stellar cast headed by Fischer-Dieskau as a memorable Faust/Doctor
Marianus. John Shirley-Quirk excelled as Mephistopheles/Böser Geist and the
set offers a welcome chance to hear again the glorious voice of Elizabeth
Harwood as Gretchen/Una Poenitentium. Peter Pears was a characterful Ariel.
Britten himself conducted superbly but, then, so too does Daniel Harding on
this new release. I’m not about to pension off my Britten version but,
my goodness, I’m glad to have this new recording to set beside it.
BR Klassik have really pushed out the boat in terms of presenting this set.
The discs are housed in a hardback book-style case within which is a very
handsome booklet containing texts and documentation in German and English.
Besides the very interesting interview with Gerhaher there’s also an
excellent essay about the work by Vera Baur – though I hope I’ll
be forgiven for saying that Joan Chissell’s note accompanying the Britten
set was even better at guiding the listener through the work. However, the
new sets score important points for providing a glossary of names and terms
that occur in Goethe’s text. That’s an invaluable tool for unfamiliar
listeners and I applaud BR Klassik for being so thoughtful.
The other important presentational aspect is the recorded sound and this is
very good indeed. The balance between voices and instruments seems to me to
be extremely well judged. The choir is accurately placed within the sound-picture
and Schumann’s colourful and attractive orchestral writing is clearly
heard.
This is an important set containing a first-rate performance of a fine work
and scrupulously presented documentation.
John
Quinn
Previous reviews: Stuart
Sillitoe (Recording of the Month) and Michael
Cookson
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