Arnold SCHOENBERG (1874-1951)
Gurrelieder (1911) [106:59]
Waldemar - Siegfried Jerusalem (tenor); Tove - Sharon Sweet (soprano); Wood
Dove - Marjana Lipovšek (mezzo); Peasant - Hartmut Welker (baritone);
Klaus the Jester - Philip Langridge (tenor); Speaker - Barbara Sukowa
Konzertvereinignung Wiener Staatsopernchor; Arnold Schoenberg Chor; Slowakischer
Philharmonischer Chor Bratislava
Wiener Philharmoniker/Claudio Abbado
rec. live, May 1992, Großer Saal, Musikverein, Vienna, Austria. DDD
ELOQUENCE 480 7055 [59:50 + 47:09]
There are quite a number of recordings of Gurrelieder in the current
catalogue, several of them very fine. I particularly admire two: Riccardo
Chailly’s 1985 Decca version, in which, as here, Siegfried Jerusalem
sings Waldemar and Simon Rattle’s 2001 recording for EMI (review).
I don’t believe that we reviewed this Abbado recording on MusicWeb International
in its original incarnation but I noticed, in trawling through reviews of
other versions, how often in the past it had been cited admiringly by colleagues.
Now that I’ve heard it for myself that doesn’t surprise me.
Everything about this recording impresses. Siegfried Jerusalem is on top form
as Waldemar. He seems able to encompass all aspects of the role. He’s
ideally equipped for the Heldentenor passages, such as ‘Herrgott.
Weiβt du, was du tatest’ to which, in impassioned rage, he brings
real Wagnerian strength. However, he’s also willing and able to fine
down his voice and to deliver the more gentle pages, such as his opening solo
or ‘Du wunderliche Tove!’ with lyrical refinement. Opposite him
as Tove is Sharon Sweet. She too has a big voice yet she’s equally capable
of more intimate singing in a rounded portrayal of Waldemar’s beloved.
So, for instance, she sounds eager and excited in ‘Sterne jubeln, das
Meer, es leuchtet’ while she begins ‘Nun sag ich dir zum ersten
Mal’ with wonder and gentle rapture, building the ecstasy as the solo
unfolds.
The other soloists have less extended roles. Hartmut Welker is good as the
Peasant: he’s suitably rustic. Philip Langridge, who was to reprise
the role of Klaus-Narr for Rattle, sings his solo in a very characterful way.
However, even more excellent than the gentlemen is Marjana Lipovšek,
who gives an utterly compelling performance of the Wood Dove’s lament.
She’s tremendously expressive from the start and, later on, from ‘Den
Sarg sah ich auf Königs Schultern’ her narration is very dramatic.
She brings searing intensity to the closing moments, starting at ‘Wollt’
ein Mönsch am Seile ziehn’. This is an absolutely outstanding account
of the Wood Dove’s music, one of the most gripping that I can recall
hearing.
Before leaving the singers I should just say that the relatively limited choral
passages - only about 15 minutes in a score lasting over 105 minutes - are
done extremely well.
One more female soloist is involved. Uniquely in my experience, Abbado uses
a female artist as the Speaker. This is the German actress, Barbara Sukowa.
We’re more accustomed to hearing male singers - or retired singers -
in this role, such as Hans Hotter (Chailly) or Thomas Quasthoff (Rattle) while
the BBC announcer, Alvar Lidell was a somewhat unconventional, though successful,
choice for Stokowski’s 1962 Edinburgh Festival performance (review).
There is no reason of which I’m aware - other than custom - why a female
voice should not be heard in this role and in the very useful booklet note
we learn that a lady took this role in a performance in Leipzig as early as
1914. In fact, I think the female voice works pretty well in many respects,
not least in underlining the kinship with Pierrot Lunaire. I
was convinced by Miss Sukowa; she’s admirable in the many passages that
call for delicacy though her voice doesn’t have the weight and amplitude
to bring off the final ecstatic cry of ‘Erwacht, erwacht, ihr Blumen,
zur Wonne!’
Complementing all this very fine solo work is the magnificent playing of the
Wiener Philharmoniker. Starting with a beautifully spun account of the Prelude,
their playing consistently adds lustre to Schoenberg’s scoring. All
the late Romantic ripeness, especially in Parts I and II, is sumptuously delivered
and they’re just as adept in delivering the more ‘advanced’
accompaniments, to Klaus-Narr and the Speaker. The expansive Interlude before
the Wood Dove’s lament sounds wonderful with rich, sumptuous sound at
the start giving way later to an abundance of orchestral power. That’s
just one example in a fabulous account of Schoenberg’s orchestral score.
I’ve no doubt that the orchestral response was heightened by having
a conductor like Abbado on the podium. The word ‘great’ tends
to be applied too readily to artists these days but surely Abbado is one of
the great conductors of his generation and to this score he can bring his
tremendous expertise in both modern music and in the music of the late Romantics
such as Mahler. He marshals the vast forces with consummate skill and his
fastidious ear is a great asset in the many stretches of the score where Schoenberg
requires playing of chamber-like delicacy.
This is a tremendous account of Gurrelieder, which I’m sure is
one of the foremost versions in the catalogue and it’s great news that
Eloquence have restored it to the catalogue. The timing is especially apt
given that Claudio Abbado celebrated his eightieth birthday earlier in 2013.
The DG engineers did a great job in taping the live performances from which
this recording is taken. The only disappointment is that no texts and translations
are supplied. Many collectors will have other versions on their shelves which
will enable them to access the text but newcomers to the score won’t
be so fortunate. That drawback is not sufficient, however, to prevent this
reissue being accorded the warmest of welcomes.
John Quinn
A tremendous account of Gurrelieder:surely one of the foremost
versions in the catalogue.
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