ARG: Overview: Schumann

[Frank Forman]

My favorites are the piano concerto (Backhaus), piano quintet (Flonzaley),
and Symphony 3 (Coppola). Franck, by contrast, wrote four absolute
masterpieces: Sonata, Quartet, Quintet, and Symphony.

With Bartok: 6 quartets, sonata for violin alone, concerto for orchestra,
third piano concerto.

Tchaikovsky: Syms. 3 (Coates) and 4-6 (Mengelberg, Mravinsky), plus 5
(Alexander Kitschin and Coates acoustic), piano trio (Murdoch, Catterall,
Squire plus Gilels, Kogan, Rostropovich), Cap. Ital. (Lehmann),
1812, R&J, Marche Slav (Mengelberg), Concerto 1 (Hansen & Mengelberg),
Nutcracker Suite (Stokowski 1934 remake). Well, the Marche Slav is hardly
a towering masterpiece.

With Haydn: Creation (Markevich) and too many excellent works but none
towering over the rest, so I just pick 100 and 103 (Scherchen) as
favorites.

Bruckner: 4,5,7,8,9 (Abendroth are fabulous, but 4 is my favorite)

Berlioz: Requiem (Scherchen) and Fantastic (Weingartner (surprise!))

Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Mahler: lots of towering
masterpieces.

I may have left someone out.

But I do like Schumann's piano music (I find the sonatas the best) played
by Backhaus, Cortot, Gianoli, and Grainger.


Overview: Schumann
by Donald R. Vroon
American Record Guide 67.5 (Sep/Oct 2004): 49-59.

Schumann-along with Berlioz and Tchaikovsky-may be considered the
quintessential romantic. Moods and emotional highs and lows were always a
part of his life. He was always a manic-depressive in the making, and he
ended up institutionalized for it. But that's romanticism-swept up by
ecstasy and fantasy one day, totally dispirited the next-just exaggerated.
Romantics with a capital R are emotionally unstable people, because they are
so fixated on the state of their psyche-on subjectivity. Their music brings
us the greatest highs and the lowest lows; it stretches our emotional range.

Because Schumann was such an unstable person, he was also a very uneven
composer. Sometimes he does take off on "lofty lyric flights" (Grieg's
description), but he also often falls back on mere craft and rhetoric. This
is even true of his symphonies: 1 was written quickly in one of his manic
states, and the joy and ecstasy are hard to miss. 3, the Rhenish, is also
joyful and optimistic-and even more irresistible. 2 caused him much pain and
hints of his depressions, but still has a rapturous intensity to it. All
three sound like they were composed in a white heat of passion and emotion.
But the Fourth has its share of empty theatrics, vulgar outbursts from the
brass, and lurching rhythms. The main relief is the alltoo-brief Romance
(II). Schumann spent a lot of time revising the symphony, but it still
doesn't work. (Some of us even prefer the oldest version.) Even Furtwängler,
who does more with it than one would have thought possible, cannot make it
sound as inspired as the other three. Still, if you haven't heard the 1953
Furtwängler, you are missing the best Schumann Fourth ever.

Somebody once said that no orchestra or conductor ever built a name playing
Schumann. Though some conductors seem to view recording Schumann's
symphonies, like Beethoven's, as a necessary demonstration of their artistic
seriousness, critical and audience approbation seems directed to other
composers. Perhaps part of the reason for this apathetic response is the
peculiar fact that most Schumann interpretations are simply very dull-more
than for almost any other composer.

Haitink's set of the symphonies for Philips is good, if a little dull, as
this conductor tends to be. They vary a bit: 1 seems closer up than 3, and
both sound a little better than 2. In general the sound is very good. The
playing is superb, but often (eg, III of 2) things seem too clean and
controlled. That's Haitink; he's not as romantic as the music.

Bernstein is. The New York Philharmonic recordings are from 1960, and they
are full of youthful vigor and real passion. Bernstein was a romantic, and
he experienced life and the emotions to the hilt, as Schumann did. There is
incredible joy as the music soars to the heights of ecstasy, and there is
deep feeling in the Adagios as well. Next to Bernstein everyone else seems
too objective in this music. Here is complete romantic subjectivity, great
fervor, a veritable frenzy of excitement. No one else has matched his ardor
and intensity. Naturally the orchestra is a bit ragged at times, but to
favor note-perfect Schumann over this would be perverse. For 34 years I have
hoped to hear something with this kind of joy played perfectly. It hasn't
happened.

The DG recordings from Vienna have only some of the same intensity and
exaltation. Perhaps because they are a little less heady, they are better
played. And the sound is better, but as usual with DG, somewhat weak in the
bass. 1 and 2 come pretty close to the Sony. 3 is definitely inferior; the
fasts are slower and the slows are faster-some romantic exaggeration is
lost. 4 is much better on DG: it's identical to the Furtwängler, except in
IV, where the tempo is faster to accommodate the exposition repeat that
Furtwängler omits. The most exciting Schumann ever is the Sony set, despite
the weak 4.

Another conductor with character and (occasional) romantic flair is
Barenboim, whose Chicago Symphony set (DG, deleted) was second only to
Bernstein's in drive and passion. Those had pretty good sound and some nice
19th Century touches. He has just rerecorded these symphonies for Teldec in
Berlin (State Orchestra, not Philharmonic). The new recording is far more
beautiful, and so is the orchestra. The tempos all seem ideal, and the
unfolding of the music seems natural, not manipulated, as it does in some of
his recordings. There is a fine blend of spontaneity and keen observation,
and these are lyrical performances. Every ARG writer who has heard this set
recommends it with enthusiasm.

Karajan's are uneven in sound and not as impressive years later as they were
when they first came out. Levine (both sets) is choppy and jittery, with
stop-and-go, uneven tempos. So is Semkow. So is Sold: vulgar,
brass-dominated performances.

Mr Haller and other Detroit-area critics (five of our writers grew up in
Detroit) think a lot of Paray's recordings, though everyone admits the sound
is cold, harsh, and brittle (the monaural 4 sounds the best). Paray was a
fairly "objective" conductor for such echtromantic music. His 1 is stiff and
unsentimental, but his 2 is brilliantly interpreted and deeply moving. In 3,
Paray somehow manages to minimize the score's bombast and for once produce a
result that doesn't reek of sauerkraut and stale beer. 4 is dramatic and
thrilling. Paray draws the parallel between this symphony and Beethoven's
5th, especially in the hair-raising transition from III to IV. When IV does
finally arrive, it comes at a breakneck speed with whiplash accents.
Altogether it's one of the most thrilling moments on record (description by
Mr Godell).

Sawallisch divides us. For example, Lawrence Hansen puts it among his
favorite sets (with the Szell), but the Editor finds it miserably deficient.
Other ARG writers line up on either side. There is no smoothness or
grandeur; it's jittery and jerky and lumpy. The strings are too recessed to
sweep us away as they should. They don't sound massive enough to be majestic
or strong enough to depict passion. The Adagio of 2 is much too fast. The
wind solos are not attractive. Many movements seem driven, especially in
Symphonies 3 and 4. He tried to make Schumann lighter, and the orchestra had
the wrong sound for this composer.

Tennstedt was less square than Sawallisch, but still earthbound. The Jordan
set was reviewed as "earnest but ordinary"; the Chailly as lacking in
imagination, bogged down in details. The Rozhdestvensky is really terrible;
for one thing, the Estonian orchestra is thirdrate. David Zinman's Schumann
comes across like a watercolor copy of a familiar painting: light, lean,
pale, flaccid. Schumann needs warmth and rich textures, and Zinman never
shows any interest in them. Harnoncourt had no romantic exhilaration or
majesty. Only his No. 2 is worth hearing. The others are thicktextured and
diffuse, heavy-handed and turgid.

On Naxos 1 and 3 were led by Rahbari, 2 and 4 by Antoni Wit. Later Wit
recorded 1 and 3 as well. Wit is sodden and shapeless in 2 and 4 but much
better in 1 and 3. In 1 there's plenty of energy and vigor, with a nicely
lyrical II. In 3 the sound is glorious, the orchestra fullthroated. The
middle movements are poised and lyrical and the finale joyful.

The Cleveland/Dohnanyi recordings are very well played and sound beautiful.
The sound tends to favor strings and timpani. The Fourth is certainly one of
the three or four best ever put on record, with great playing, no repeats
(in this symphony the music repeats itself enough; we don't need extra,
optional repeats). What a confident performance, and what a great orchestra!
But it is coupled with 3, and that is often fast and unfeeling-only the
first of the five movements sounds "right". Dohnanyi's tempos are moderate;
he never indulges romantic feeling the way Bernstein does. His scherzos will
seem too fast if you've been listening to Bernstein. As we have said often,
slower tempos allow stronger rhythms. But many will gladly accept the
slightly-toofast (but never jittery) scherzos and the much faster Adagio in
No. 2 (Schumann's greatest slow movement) for the sake of the Cleveland
strings (these are string-dominated works) and the gorgeous 1988 London
sound, which is vastly superior to what Columbia came up with 25 years
earlier.

That Szell set sounded atrocious on LP, so it was a cause for celebration
when Sony remastered them so brilliantly for CD. They were recorded from
1958 to 1960, and on CD they demonstrate what we have often claimed: that
recordings from the early stereo years can sound as good as-even better
than-the latest digital wonders. They are extremely good (but still not as
good as the Dohnanyis). The performances are vivid and accurate, but also
relaxed and gentle, with plenty of romantic feeling (surprised? Szell must
have hidden this side of his personality most of the time). Symphony 1 is
especially lovely, but Szell doesn't bring enough vitality to 4, the most
heroic of Schumann's symphonies. No. 2 is a glowing, triumphant performance.
Nos. 1 and 3 are almost joyful (Szell joyful?). Still, there is something
cut-and-dried about them leaves some of us cold (the Editor and Kurt Moses,
among others).

Neville Marriner recorded the set twice, once in Stuttgart and later with
the St Martin's Academy. Both sets have great sound, but the Stuttgart
orchestra has the Schumann style. Marriner also speeded up a few tempos in
the later set, to the detriment of the music. The Stuttgart set (on
Capriccio) is lively and joyful enough-never frivolous and shallow-except in
No. 1, where his super-fast tempos really destroy the music. 3 and 4 are
best-and among the best available. The Stuttgart orchestra sounds just right
for Schumann, but next to the Cleveland they are tan, not darkbrown velvet.
If yo u want majesty you will not put Marriner ahead of Bernstein or
Giulini.

The Muti set was very good, too-as good as Marriner's-but it disappeared
fast. Eliahu Inbal's Philips set is beautifully played and recorded. It has
a lyrical flow, an energy without aggressiveness, that is increasingly rare.
But should you buy his whole set? (No one on our staff would.) A later Inbal
recording of 3 for Denon is dull and leaden.

Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony play them all on Delos, and we
rather liked the performances (except certain movements, like the scherzo of
1), but the sound is very shallow and too dry-probably reflecting the place
it was recorded. We are not happy with the recordings by Merz, despite their
historical pretentions. Welser-Most (EMI) smooths over all the dramatic
contrasts and drains these scores of their passion and drive. He sounds like
an old man next to Bernstein!

Klemperer's First is one of the best, though it hasn't quite the sweeping
grandeur of Bernstein, and the strings don't have enough body. His Fourth is
excellent, but 2 was not good at all: he ruined the Adagio by treating it as
another Allegro.

Christoph Eschenbach recorded them twice, with the Bamberg Symphony and
later with the North German Radio Orchestra. We labelled the first clumsy
and sluggish, among other things. Both are straightforward, bland, and
boring. This is not his music. But, really, very few conductors understand
Schumann's High Romanticism.

EMI released a set led by Hans Vonk that we liked very much; but, like the
Muti set, it vanished very soon. It was heavy and thick and Germanic, but it
was also pure Schumannnot cleaned up. The Masur set is viewed by most of us
as turgid and lifeless, but Mr Haller called 2 and 3 refreshing, direct, and
urgent. James Levine recorded them twice-in Philadelphia and (better) in
Berlin-but failed both times to make much of them.

Thielemann sounds strident, awkward, and affected in 1; and it's coupled
with an even worse 4. His 2 seems based on the Bernstein model, and the
sound is good, but the Bernsteins are still around. 3 is bloated and torpid,
though the horns are excellent and really stand out in DG's recording.

Mario Venzago recorded these with the Basel Symphony and set out to make
them quite different. Well, they are, but they are also impossible. The
essential problem is that he keeps fiddling with the tempos, so the music
proceeds in fits and starts. It's jerky. Little swells and pauses add to the
discontinuity. Horrible.

Naturally, there are "period" performances, though we can't imagine why
anyone would want Schumann to sound the way they make him sound. Mr Haller
recommends Solomons (especially his exuberant No. 4 in its original version)
over the "antiseptic" Norrington. On the other hand, Mr Chakwin called
Norrington's Rhenish lovely and said it was swift and flowing, like the
Rhine. Gardiner is rather frenetic at times, but his set is the best bet if
you want "period instruments" and style (whatever that means). It is hard to
imagine anyone could prefer him to Bernstein, but there are people with
perverse tastes out there.

Individual symphonies:

1. Munch had no grandeur at all. Mehta's was very good, but his second was
too fast.

2. Herreweghe did Symphony 2 with the piano concerto for Harmonia Mundi. He
has no rhythmic lift, phrases are not expressive, and inner details are
poorly projected. The slow movement is metronomic, and the period
instruments ugly. Norrington is turgid and bloated-it's almost painful to
listen to. There is no joy. Dirk Joeres on BIS is disjointed and often
hectic, with a comatose slow movement. Sinopoli's 2 was more Germanic than
Szell's: stern and businesslike. He had none of the agony and the ecstasy of
Bernstein. The Scherzo, for example, though it times out about the same,
sounds much faster than Bernstein because it's so cold and lacking in
beauty. One can picture the conductor frowning and taking himself
desperately seriously. One can also picture Bernstein: swept away by the
music, unaware of his manic maneuverings, and simply enjoying himself
immensely. That's what music is all about-at least romantic music. Not a
conductor in tight, painstaking control, but one who sounds (like Bernstein,
especially in New York) as if he's about to lose control. Some of us rather
like that sort of brinkmanship.

3. Gunter Wand was old when he recorded Symphony 3, and it also sounds
buttoned down and joyless.

When the Giulini LP came out, I hated the sound. Listening now to the CD, I
love it. Explanations? (1) Digital LPs were a hybrid; many sounded garish.
(2) My current listening room absorbs more sound than the radio studio I was
using then. (3) My acoustic suspension speakers help the bass and tame the
highs much better than monitor speakers did. At any rate, this is great
conducting: tempos, tempo relationships, balances, and sense of the music
could not be better. The first movement is downright majestic. The LA brass
are quite thrilling, and the strings much sweeter than the Vienna ones for
Bernstein. Bernstein does hit greater highs-gets the orchestra more worked
up-but Giulini, while still rhapsodic, is better judged. Some may not like
the way he smooths out the finale (Bernstein has much stronger rhythm), but
some of us still prefer this to any other 3.

Schonwandt (Chandos) is propulsive and alive. He captures the soaring
grandeur in a heartfelt and buoyant fashion. The coupling is a choral oddity
that lasts around 45 minutes, Des Sängers Fluch (The Minstrel's Curse).
There is no other recording of this discursive piece, but it doesn't make a
great impression under Schonwandt. One can imagine it better done, even if
it isn't top-drawer Schumann.

4. Schonwandt's 4th Symphony also has a rare and attractive choral work with
it: Vom Pagen und der Känigstochter (The Page and the King's Daughter). Mr
Haller called it some of Schumann's most inspired music, but the Schonwandt
4 is expendable. The original version (orchestration) of the Fourth sounds
more like the other three than the revision we usually hear does: much
doubling, strongly dominant strings. The revised orchestration may be more
intelligent, but Schumann was never an imaginative orchestrator, and maybe
you like strings. Koch-Schwann 311010 was one recording of the original
version.

The DG Bernstein 3 was originally issued with a spirited and appealing Piano
Concerto played by Justus Frantz, who seems perfectly suited in poetic
impulse and temperament to Bernstein's own view of the score. Helene Grimaud
is sensitive and has temperament, but hasn't much tone or warmth. Alicia
DeLarrocha is simply boring in this music.

Ivan Moravec recorded this twice-once for Supraphon with Neumann and once
for Dorian in Dallas. Both rank among the best. He balances poetry and
energy perfectly. The Dorian has stunning sound, but the piano sounds
gorgeous on the Supraphon, too, because this was a pianist mindful of tone.

The latest Brendel recording seems warmer and more natural and expressive
than earlier Brendel. It's the one with Sanderling on Philips (462321).

Barenboim probably recorded this more than once, but the one to have is
conducted by Celibidache (EMI 57417). He's quite elegant and eloquent, and
the accompaniment is rich and expressive.

Another pianist who recorded it more than once is Perahia. His first, with
Colin Davis (who seems at a loss), is rather small-scaled and doesn't make
much of an impression. His second recording was in Berlin with Abbado-better
conductor, orchestra, and sound (Sony). But our critic felt there was more
careful shaping the first time around, even if the second one is more
exciting and generally comes off better.

Christian Zacharias plays and conducts his Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in a
gorgeous and perfect account that we are divided on. Some of us find it
quite wonderful, especially with the fabulous MDG sound; others think the
interpretation is slightly generic-even anonymous.

Kovacevich is exciting and bracing, with great conducting by Colin Davis (it
helps that the two are well matched). Philips has usually coupled it with
the Grieg, and that's a terrible recording. Schumann needs to be moved
along, but the same approach destroys the Grieg.

Andsnes does a fine, rather subtle Schumann concerto (Virgin). Giacometti is
youthful but perhaps too conventional, relying on skillful contrasts rather
than genuine involvement. Anton Kuerti gives us on CBC a rather
unconventional Schumann, with hints of Beethoven and even Mozart. It's odd,
and it is coupled with the dreadful piano version of the Konzertstück for
four horns.

We do not like the old Solomon recording at all: it's just not Schumann.

Richter is quite wonderful, but the DG sound makes the Warsaw Philharmonic
sound thin. The EMI is from Monte Carlo, and the orchestra is no better-and
Richter is not as good; he's just too blunt.

Martha Argerich has had three recordings of this in the catalog: with
Rostropovich, with Harnoncourt, and with Kasimierz Kord. The one with
Harnoncourt is recorded in a rather diffuse-sounding place and with a small
orchestra, but she responds well to this mercurial composer. She is always
bold and bracing, never gentle or expansive. The Editor finds her playing
irritating, but others on our staff find it fiery and exciting.

Cecile Ousset plays it well, but Kurt Masur's accompaniment is ponderous,
thick, stolid, and too low-key to work. Mentioned with warmth by our
reviewers: Lupu and Zimerman. Obviously, a work recorded as much as this
will produce a wide range of preferences.

We absolutely hated Staier/Herreweghe, a lumbering reading with no flow and
exaggerated tempos on dreadful period instruments. We were not happy with
Lupo and Maag on Arts (mainly the orchestra).

Serkin's early (monaural) recording is better than his stereo remake-less
indulgent. In the "no nonsense" category, Fleisher and Szell are vigorous
but anti-romantic. The expressive other extreme: the stereo Serkin and
Kempff. Rubinstein is slow, but refreshingly straightforward. Gutierrez gave
the work real substance; his was one of the best recordings, but, as we
know, recordings don't sell based on quality but on the fame of the artist.
He was better here than Serkin and Fleisher. Anda/Kubelik is moderate and
attractive. (It must be Anda; Kubelik's Schumann is generally rather flat.)
A few of us prefer Byron Janis. He recorded it with Reiner for RCA and three
years later with Skrowaczewski for Mercury. The RCA is more vigorous, the
Mercury more sensitive and subtle. Many of these are coupled with the Grieg
Concerto, and often the same pianist is quite different in the coupling.

I have always thought the Piano Concerto should be cut; we get a prime
example of Robert's Rhetoric-interminable and boringin the last movement. I
rather favor performances that pass over it all without much notice and
don't try to make Something out of nothing.

Rubinstein/Giulini......RCA 63053

Moravec/Mata......... Dorian 90172

Zacharias....................MDG 3401033

Violin Concerto

The Piano Concerto may run out of steam by the end, but it gets off to a
great start. The Violin Concerto never gets up any steam at all. This is a
dog of a piece, full of muddy chromatic thinking and really horrid technical
writing for the violin. (Schumann didn't know how to write for the
instrument; he treats it like a piano.) The harmonies seem meaningless. It
was his last major work before he went insane. Joachim, Brahms, and Clara
Schumann all agreed that it should be suppressed, because it was too weak.

But Henryk Szeryng advocated it, and he can make it quite convincing while
you are listening. His urgent pulse, tight rhythms, and continuity make it
sound like a better piece than it is (Mercury 434339). Kantorow recorded it
more recently. Fine violinist that he is, he can hardly make silk purses out
of sow's ears.

Among modern recordings, we think Gidon Kremer makes the most of it-but note
that Kremer alone takes the final movement very slow and does seem to be
finding profundities that aren't there. On the other hand, he makes all the
others sound too fast. Kremer's dark tone is a real asset (Teldec 90696). We
also liked a CBC recording by Juliet Kang (5197). Avoid Joshua Bell: not a
good partnership (Dohnanyi) and no real understanding of this music (which
is not easy to understand!).

Cello Concerto

The Cello Concerto is at least short, and if played right it can be
rhapsodic. No one ever made a better case for it than Rostropovich and
Bernstein (EMI). Rostropovich is as romantic and poetic as you will ever
hear. If you can't go all the way with romantic emotionality, Leonard Rose
stays quite sober in his recording with Bernstein. He is warm, but Bernstein
cannot lead him into extremes. He never sounds calculating or unfeeling, but
he is moderate enough that this performance will never wear out its welcome
(Sony 47609). Back to Rostropovich: our resident cellist, David Moore,
considers his 1961 recording with Rozhdestvensky his favorite (now on DG
471620).

Maria Kliegel on Naxos 550938 is smooth, poetic, and lyrical, with full
tone. Another recent one, Mischa Maisky on DG 469524, is quite wonderful:
smooth, suave, vigorous, and lyrical-yes, all of them. The program is filled
out with Schumann cello pieces accompanied by Martha Argerich. Janos Starker
recorded it years ago for Mercury, then more recently for RCA. Both are
solid and intelligent, but hardly romantic.

Jacqueline DuPre (EMI) is perhaps overindulgent, as Steven Haller complained
(he likes Starker); but there is a strong level of commitment and vigor.
It's not clean playing, but it's heartfelt, and there's plenty of drama and
color. Fournier and Szell sound heartless and sterile in comparison.

David Moore compared Heinrich Schiff and Yo-yo Ma, who both gave us all the
cello music on one disc (Philips and Sony). Ma takes longer, and his
interpretations are searching and intense, poetic and improvisatory; but
Colin Davis's conducting only skims the surface. Schiff is more classically
matter-of-fact. Schiff has a more natural flow and is actually quite warm
(so is the sound), but Ma sometimes makes more of the music. Mr Moore
concluded that Steven Isserlis (RCA 68800) was better than either.

Peter Wispelwey does a fine concerto, but the program is a mess.

Introduction and Allegro

Opus 92 (Concertpiece) is very attractive, and the classic Serkin/Ormandy
recording is available three different ways on CD. Richter also recorded it.

The other Introduction and Allegro is Opus 134. It is less appealing, but
Naxos has issued it twice with the Brahms First Piano Concerto. Both of
these pieces are included with the Schumann piano concerto recorded by
Christian Zacharias.

Concertpiece for horns

This was written for four horns and orchestra. It is sometimes played in the
composer's own reduction for piano and orchestra, which is atrocious and
should be burned. The horns are heard with Schwarz's Symphony 1 and
Thielemann's 2. Tennstedt's London Philharmonic recording of this was very
good (unfortunately, EMI coupled it with a rather matter-of-fact Rhenish).
Perhaps the most practical recommendation is the Supraphon with Tylsar and
company on horn and Neumann conducting, which not only offers a more varied
assortment of horn concertos but estimable performances and sonics as well.

There was once a dreadful Chicago Symphony recording on DG that took
hundreds of takes because they simply couldn't play it. It is now played
routinely by horn sections all over America.

Piano Quintet & Quartet

Schumann's Piano Quintet is one of the great pieces of chamber music.
Recordings that many of us have praised are by Emanuel Ax and the Cleveland
Quartet (RCA) and Rudolf Serkin and the Budapest (Sony 37256 with the piano
concerto). There's nothing wrong with the budget Naxos 550406 Qeno Jando and
the Kodaly Quartet).

We don't care for the DG recording by the Emerson Quartet with Menahem
Pressler: slick virtuosity and glassy sound. We don't like the sound on the
EMI with Argerich in the Quintet and Rabinovitch in the Quartet, but the
Quintet is an incandescent performance-if you like Argerich to begin with.
You either find her exhilarating or irritating. Avoid the dull De Larrocha
quintet (with the Tokyo Quartet). Isaac Stern and friends play the quartet
very well on Sony (53339). The latest Sony, with James Ehnes and Louis
Lortie (among others) seems superficial.

Our reviewer responded warmly to the DG recording of the quintet (paired
with the concerto) by Maria Joao Pires. We were thrilled by Richter and the
Borodin Quartet on Doremi 7786-the most exciting of Richter's accounts of
the piece.

Don't forget the Earl Wild recording of the piano quintet with a full string
section. The expanded strings expand the romantic fervor as well (Ivory
71003).

Piano Music

Big sets of Schumann were recorded by Jörg Demus (Nuova Era), Claudio Arrau
(Philips, a seven-disc box), and Wilhelm Kempff (DG 435045, a four-disc
box). We didn't care much for Demus, but he recorded things the others
didn't bother with. The incomparable Claudio Arrau had dark, rich tone and
remarkable fluidity. Carnaval, Waldszenen, and Kinderszenen were all issued
on one sampler disc, still available: Philips Silver Line 420871. Kempff had
a much lighter tone and transparent textures; at times his playing was
downright sprightly. He sounds more spontaneous than Arrau, so Arrau is
better at the big, serious works that require much thought and structuring.

Radu Lupu's Schumann on London won raves from our Harold Schonberg: a
beautiful and varied sound, shapely phrases without any distortion, natural
flow. Andras Schiff usually has nothing special to say about Schumann. Peter
Rösel seems rather colorless. Rafael Orozco seems deficient in lyrical
rapture and tonal variety. Perahia has those qualities (plenty of poetry)
but not the impulsiveness that makes Schumann Schumann. Demidenko also seems
less Schumannian than many others. Daniel Blumenthal is too square for
Schumann. Bernd Glemser has recorded some Schumann for Naxos, and our
writers have liked it well enough. We have not responded well to Franz
Vorraber, who is recording volumes of Schumann for Thorofon. His phrasing is
too stop-and-go, in spurts. A couple of our writers call attention to Nibya
Marino, a Uruguayan pianist who specialized in Schumann that came across as
bold, free, and colorful (Harold Schonberg's words).

Bunte Blätter

Richter rather owned this piece and recorded it many times. Among others
worth considering we liked Louis Lortie on Chandos; it's not quite as ardent
or dramatic, but it's sensitive and colorful and satisfying.

Carnaval

Sofronitsky is mercurial and eccentric, which brings a different light to
bear on this music. Uchida is not convincing; this is just not her music.
Laurent Martin is mannered and has strong ideas, but they will appeal to
some. Evgeny Kissin is quite breathtaking, but sometimes his tone is too
hard and aggressive. Nelson Freire is very unconventional and may annoy many
listeners, but he does have a fresh approach, and he ties these pieces
together into a convincing entity (Decca 1228). Cecile Licad (Sony 45742)
surprised many of us with an excellent Carnaval of both power and polish.
She can be introverted, she can be outgoing, she can be noble-she has all
the moods down. We are very fond of Ruth Slenczynska on Ivory 71004; it is
stunning and splendid. Other best choices are Arrau and Rubinstein. If you
go back to the 1920s you can get superb performances by Cortot and
Rachmaninoffand the latter remains unsurpassed.

Davidsbündlertänze

Charles Rosen seems dull and colorless. We liked Berezovsky but didn't wax
enthusiastic. Hiroko Maruko gives a polished Davids, and MDG adds great
sound. Pollini on DG is more involved than one would expect and plays
brilliantly. Andreas Haefliger brings out the whimsical and the poetic in
these pieces (Sony 48036). Some our strongest praise went to Ann Schein on
Ivory (71006): beautiful tone, cohesion, temperament, clarity, dreaminess,
opulence-all simply add to her expression and her brilliant management of
mood shifts. Imogen Cooper brings her unusual sensitivity to bear on these
pieces on Ottavo.

Fantasy, op 17

Sofronitsky is fiery. Virsaladze paints in pastels. Richter on EMI (64625)
is impassioned, and the sound (and his sound) is very good. Richter recorded
it six times between 1959 and 1980. Hamelin is a case of applied
virtuosityas opposed to getting inside the music. Andsnes is strong and
assured, with a singing tone and good legato (EMI 56414). Kempff has
intimacy. Fiorentino plays beautifully but seems weak in dramatic contrasts
for Schumann. Earl Wild plays nicely, too-with tenderness-but also seems
outside Schumann's world looking in. Goode is also too gentle. Schliessmann
(Bayer 100293) is right in Schumann's worldinside his brain.

Fantasy Pieces, op 12

Argerich is too tempestuous and out of control. Giacometti doesn't match his
Humoreske. It comes down to Richter or Rubinstein.

Faschingsschwank aus Wien

was brilliantly recorded by Ivan Davis on Audiofon 72004. His manner fits
the music like a glove: exuberant, virtuosic, and uninhibited. The great
Richter recording is with the Fantasy on EMI (64625), and there is or was a
powerful Gavrilov recording on the same label.

Humoreske

is practically owned by Richter. If you prefer to avoid Richter, we like
Paolo Giacometti on Channel 16798: dazzling technique, heartfelt poetry, a
good sense of architecture (Schumann easily becomes episodic). We also like
the Chilean pianist Pola Baytelman on Centaur 2591; she understands
Schumann's wildness as few others do. Schiff is spastic, stop-and-go,
mannered, exaggerated, and episodic. Though we did not like Richard Goode's
Fantasy, the coupled Humoreske is wonderfully poetic and sensitive. Other
excellent recordings are by Horowitz, Kempff, and Carbonel-the last, on
Pavane 7259, is quite fresh in her approach, and her tone is rieh and
resonant.

Kreisleriana

Pollini is too emotionally detached. Sofronitsky is poetic and soulful. So
is Virsaladze, with a gentler touch, elegant, with delicate colors. Youri
Egorov was similar. Cortot leads the historical list. Horowitz is exciting
and worth having. Others we like are Lupu, Cherkassky, and Andras Schiff. A
little-known Bulgarian pianist, Vesselin Stanev, matched Schumann's wildness
with thrilling impetuosity and sweep (Gega 274). No one captures Schumann's
duality and impulsiveness better than Burkard Schliessmann. His Schumann is
unsurpassed. He does not prettify the music or smooth out its rough edges.
He accepts the music on its own terms and enters Schumann's sound world and
inner psyche. He is even better than Richter at conveying the troubled soul
of the composer and his extreme mood swings, from the agitated to the
serene. Schumann was a manic-depressive. He also has an amazing technique,
including beautiful tone. Not even Horowitz makes such a powerful
impression. His Kreisleriana comes with an amazing Symphonic Etudes on Bayer
100311.

Nachtstücke

Richter on London (436456) is from 1986 and represents the weightier, more
expansive approach of his late years, still with plenty of nuance and
poetry. There was also a wonderful Gilels recording of these Night Pieces.

Novelettes: Michel Block did a delightful and whimsical reading of these for
Pro Piano (224514). Schiff is ponderous, uneven, exaggerated, and
insensitive.

Symphonic Etudes

For a very poetic reading we recommend Perahia (Sony) or Okashiro (Pro
Piano). But should this be smoothed out that much? Schliessmann gives us the
real thing. Earl Wild is just too objective and lacking in soul. Schumann is
not his kind of composer. Hamelin stays on the surface, too. Pletnev is very
unusual, idiosyncratic.

Waldszenen

We have praised Richter's 1956 recording on Supraphon (1421) for its
technical mastery and musical insight. Naxos recorded these Forest Scenes
very well with Paul Guida (550401), coupled with a very fine Kreisleriana
that is neither as brilliant as Horowitz nor as poetic as Rubinstein but
sounds better than either. Virsaladze is a very romantic pianist in the
Russian mold and does well with these and the two sonatas. We thought Wild
rather prosaic in these pieces, though the coupled Papillons and Sonata 1
are very good.

Vox has a wonderful box of Schumann's music for piano four-hands. The
pianists are Peter Frankl and Andras Schiff, and the music includes his
eight polonaises, Kinderball, and Pictures from the East, as well as a
gorgeous account of the Andante and Variations with two cellos and horn (Vox
3001). See the end of this Overview for another recording of the Andante and
Variations.

Faust

The choice is Boulez, Abbado, or Herreweghe. Herreweghe is unimaginative and
has dull soloists. Boulez had a stellar cast, headed by Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau. Abbado's cast is headed by Bryn Terfel. Choose by singer.

Genoveva

Schumann's big opera has some nice music but needs all the help it can get.
We found Kurt Masur's recording (on Berlin) the best of the three. Masur is
more energetic than the others and has outstanding singers and a better
orchestra (Leipzig Gewandhaus).

Manfred

The classic Beecham recording from the 1950s is still around. Lawrence
Hansen comments that it could never be made today, because the romanticism
of the poetry and music would seem too hokey. The declamation is hardly
conversational; it's the exalted pre-War kindvery melodramatic. And it's in
English. The Beecham is far better and more complete than the Scherchen
recordings.

Newer recordings include two that we rather like: Schonwandt on Kontrapunkt
and Albrecht on Koch. The playing and sound on the Venzago recording are not
as good. All of these are in German, and none gives us a translation. Much
of the poetry is spoken, not sung.

Mass

Schumann's only Mass, a late work, is a beautiful piece-he really was a
terrific choral composer. It has been recorded only a few times. It was
first published in an organ reduction, and the best recording of that is by
Huber on EBS. The orchestral version is too austere and subdued on MDG. We
liked the Piquemal recording, but the Ariane label isn't seen much in this
country. So the only practical choice is Froschauer on Capriccio 67001,
which was praised by Lindsay Koob in ARG.

Paradise and the Peri

Schumann considered this 96-minute oratorio one of his most important works,
and it was widely performed in his lifetime-but hasn't been heard much
since. It's all about the travels of a fallen angel who wants to find the
secret to restore her [sic] to paradise. Her travels on earth take her to
Egypt, India, and Syria. She finally encounters a sinner, whose tears of
repentance prove to be just the thing. It's a lovely score; one of our
reviewers called it "absolutely glorious" and added that if you haven't
heard it you don't know Schumann.

There have only been a few recordings. The soloists might help you choose:
for example, the mezzo solos are best done by the incomparable Florence
Quivar on Sinopoli's DG recording in Dresden. Barbara Bonney is among the
attractions (for her fans) of the Gardiner account, also on DG. But Gardiner
has a stuffy English approach, and both soloists and chorus sound rather
"white" (the women sound like boys-Gardiner seems to favor androgenous
sounds). Gardiner is not a romantic conductor, either. You would do better
with the Leipzig recording on Berlin (Hauschild conducting). We don't
remember well the 1975 EMI Dusseldorf recording, but it was transferred to
CD at some point, and it may be available somewhere in the world. Soloists
included Fassbaender and Gedda. The other recordings are by Armin Jordan on
Erato and Gerd Albrecht on Supraphon. Albrecht also has Barbara Bonney in
his cast, but our reviewer preferred the ardent clarity of Edith Wiens on
Erato. Keith Lewis on Supraphon is the better narrator. Jordan's Suisse
Romande is a better orchestra than Albrecht's Czech Philharmonic-sorry, but
that's the way it sounds here.

So there is no clear choice here, but stay clear of Gardiner.

Pilgrimage of a Rose

This is quite similar to Paradise, but the text is even sillier. It's
baby-talk, the kind adults read to five-year-olds. A rose becomes human to
experience the joys of motherhood. But it's Schumann's best choral music.
The original for piano has been recorded by EBS and Harmonia Mundi. Avoid
them. The composer did the orchestration, and it is excellent. You may
choose between two recordings: Frühbeck de Burgos on EMI has soloists like
Helen Donath and Hans Sotin, plus the conductor's wonderful vitality. The
Chandos under Gustav Kuhn is a good second choice and probably easier to get
right now.

Miscellaneous Choral Pieces (KOOB)

Schumann wrote over 100 choral pieces, most of them after 1843 for the
choirs he directed in Dresden and Dusseldorf. As with Mendelssohn,
Schumann's choral music is sadly neglected outside of Germany. Most are
short, secular works-both a cappella and accompanied. They bear little
stylistic resemblance to his more passionate and unpredictable piano works
or lieder, though they are quite attractive in their own way. Schumann
restricts his usual strong melodic impulse and unfettered fantasy in the
interest of choral coherence and harmony.

There are quite a few simple, strophic German partsongs, often based on folk
material or famous poets. Quite a few of them are for men's voices alone. A
good collection of these can be found on Capriccio 67023. Another enticing
part-song collection, including some for mixed voices, is EBS 6034. Other
remarkable works for male chorus include a series of six pieces written
after 1847, the best known of which is the motet 'Despair Not in the Valley
of Sorrow', Op. 93, for double male chorus. The best among his later works
for female chorus include the Op. 69 and 91 Romances, including the
instrument-heavy Sea-Fairy. Promising recordings of these and others are on
Hänssler 93002 and Gega 144.

His finest unaccompanied mixed-chorus works, his Four Songs for Double
Choir, Op. 141, came quite late in his career. You can hear these impressive
pieces beautifully performed by John Rutter's Cambridge Singers on Collegium
509. Of these, the restless 'Uncertain Light' (Audite 97483) is most typical
of Schumann's compulsive, questing romantic spirit. Berlin 9191 has a nicely
balanced collection of his choral pieces for mixed voices, some with piano,
some with orchestra, some unaccompanied (May/June 1997-conducted by
Neumann).

Also among his final works are a few of somewhat grander scale, setting
medieval ballads for chorus and orchestra (or organ). The best-known of
these are The King's Son, Op. 116 and The Luck of Edenhall, Op. 143. The
latter is to be heard along with a wealth of other Schumann choral material
and songs on Berlin 9068.

Other all-Schumann choral troves worth exploring are Kontrapunkt 32076
(entirely a cappella) and the EMI "two-fer" that includes his Paradise
oratorio.

SONGS

Dichterliebe

Bo Skovhus has an attractive voice and manner, but he is too angry-not
elegant enoughfor this music. Wolfgang Holzmair seems just right for
Schumann, with exquisite phrasing and color. He is accompanied most
sensitively by the wonderful Imogen Cooper. Thomas Quasthoff has made a
strong recording of this for RCA (61225). He is pretty straightforward but
still sensitive-in other words he doesn't burden the music with
overinterpretation or operatic drama, as Jorma Hynninen does (but what a
great voice he has, too!).

Matthias Goerne's plush, velvety baritone and beautiful singing are
certainly in his favor (London/Decca). If you like smooth, gorgeous voices,
he leads the pack. His voice is far, far better than Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau's, even if he has a ways to go to match the latter's sheer
artistry and understanding. And Vladimir Ashkenazy is a notable accompanist.

Naxos recorded this with Sebastian Bluth. He doesn't sing as beautifully as
Hampson, as delicately as Holzmair, as grandly as Skovhus, as magnetically
as Goerne, or as dramatically as Fischer-Dieskau; but he has an agreeable
voice and is somewhat expressive. Tempos are slow. Like most recordings,
Naxos pairs the Dichterliebe with the Heine liederkreis, Opus 39.

A few tenors have recorded this, and our pick among them must be Ian
Bostridge. A fresh, young, sweet sound, sensitivity to flow, and eloquent
expression place him among the best choices (EMI 56575).

This was obviously written for a male voice, but a few women have recorded
it. David Greene liked Nathalie Stutzmann's involvement and
interpretation-same RCA disc as her Frauenliebe, which he liked a lot less.
Barbara Bonney (on Decca) is very delicate and gentle-less angry than most
male singers.

Eichendorff Cycle, op 39

Matthias Goerne (Decca 460797) is superb; the voice is amazing, the style
intoxicating. Bryn Terfel crushes these songs to death. He does tend to
overdo everything, and that may work well in opera but not in lieder. Victor
Braun recorded this with the Heine cycle for Dorian (90132), and our David
Greene recommended it with enthusiasm.

Frauenliebe und Leben

Catherine Robbin (CBC 1050) combines this with the Eichendorff cycle
(usually recorded by men, because of the text of the last song). David
Greene told us she captured the qualities of both cycles as well as any
singer. Anne Sofie von Otter on DG seems to believe in these songs and
performs them and other Schumann songs so well that one of our crankiest
critics shouted "Hallelujah". But we were also very pleased with Lipovsek on
Sony: lovely voice, great intensity and technique. And with Bernarda Fink on
Harmonia Mundi: beautiful voice, sensitive interpretations. We were less
happy with Phyllis Bryn-Julson, who seems a little rigid and dull compared
to many others.

Felicity Lott has a beautiful voice, but her recording of this sounds
emotionally detached compared to, say, Baker, Bonney, or Auger. Bonney
(London 452898) is joined by Vladimir Ashkenazy in a reading of passion,
beauty, strength, and vulnerability. Auger is on Berlin-or was.

Lotte Lehmann's 1942 recording with Bruno Walter is the classic. It sounded
very good on the CBS Masterworks Portrait CD, but we haven't heard the other
CD incarnations. The style of singing is late Victorian, with lots of
melodramatic expression. It comes with Lehmann's Dicterliebe; was she the
first woman to record that?

Heine Songs

There are many others, besides the Opus 24 cycle. Thomas Hampson has
recorded all these together (EMI 55598). He is in superb voice, his singing
virile, beautiful, and natural, his diction excellent. There is no striving
for effect, no mannerisms, no pointing out the obvious. Stutzmann is not at
her best in her recording of this. Christopher Maltman is not up to the
competition. There are great recordings by Fischer-Dieskau (with Demus on
DG), Prey (Denon), Bär, Genz, Goerne, Blochwitz, and Fassbaender. All sing
with subtlety, tonal juice, and idiomatic flavor-yet the older the singer
the more subtle the phrasing and artistry (Prey & F-D).

Kerner Songs

Margaret Price recorded this with the Opus 39 cycle for Hyperion (66596),
and we called it one of the greatest recordings of Schumann songs. Her voice
is very beautiful and very flexible, but she never resorts to parlando,
crooning, or other tricks that we hear from lesser singers. Nothing is
exaggerated.

Among male singers, Matthias Goerne has a voice that's hard to beat, along
with a smooth, fluid style. Not quite on that level but quite good is
Wolfgang Holzmair, again with the excellent Imogen Cooper. Other excellent
recordings of these are by Thomas Hampson, Simon Keenlyside, Jose Van Dam,
and Hermann Prey. For a gentler, French approach, Gerard Souzay is quite
wonderful in Schumann songs (Testament 1209).

Duets

Two sets of four duets, Opp. 34+78, are basic. Jan DeGaetani and Leslie
Guinn sing them on Nonesuch 71364, along with eight others. They are not
recorded by opus or sets, and the result is a handsome program. The two
groups are recorded as sets by Mitsuko Shirai and Josef Protschka on
Capriccio (10079), adding in the nine songs of the Spanish Song Cycle and
the ten Spanish Love Songs. These two Spanish cycles use combinations of
soprano, alto, tenor, and bass-some solos, mostly duets, and even three
quartets. Attractive music, all of it.

Quartets

The St Lawrence Quartet shakes up the music; each player tends to go his own
way. This makes for varied phrasing but not exactly for refined and blended
tone. The Eroica Quartet (Harmonia Mundi) tries to follow period
practice-bowings and such-but also sounds quite convincing. The Zehetmair
Quartet on ECM takes a rather Mozartean approach, with a great deal of
clarity and charm.

Trios

The Fontenay Trio has the romantic feeling and the depth to make the most of
these works (Teldec). We strongly disliked the Florestan Trio and had only
mild praise for the Jean-Paul Trio. Trio Italiano is lyrical and
graceful-beautiful readings (Arts). The Russian recordings often seem
overbearing. The Parnassus Trio on MDG is incisive, with brilliant phrasing
and a very definite sound. The Vienna Brahms Trio on Naxos is warmer, less
incisive, more Viennese (naturally). Their recording of 1 and 2 is worth
hearing, but Trio 3 is a dull piece, and their approach doesn't help it at
all.

American Record Guide

Violin Sonatas

These pieces were practically forgotten for years and are still seldom
heard. They were almost impossible to find on LP. But there have been a
number of fine recordings in recent years. Zehetmair and Katsaris did a
warm, Germanic reading on Teldec. Kaplan and Kuerti on Arabesque give us
plenty of heart-felt expression. For the D-minor Sonata it is hard to beat
the Naxos with Ilya Kaler (550870). Both playing and sound are wonderful.
For the A-minor Sonata, turn to Zukerman on RCA, who projects it like a
great singer, with great beauty of sound. The RCA has other pieces on violin
and viola, all brilliantly played by Mr Zukerman (68052, 2CD). Kremer and
Argerich (DG) are fiery and propulsive, with bite and intensity. They make
most of the others sound laid-back. A very different reading-and very
emotional-is by Elisabeth Schneider on Classico 351. You will hear things
you never heard before.

Chamber Music with Winds (RITTER)

3 Romances for oboe

5 Folk-Style Pieces for bassoon

Adagio and Allegro for French horn

Fantasy pieces, op 73 for clarinet

Keisuke Wakao on Denon 18090 is the best in the romances-interpretation,
tone, depth of feeling. Jeremy Polmear (Oboe Classics 2002) also turns in a
wonderful, soft-grained reading; and Hansjorg Schellenberger on Campanella
130014 is passionate and muscular.

You can get all four sets on an indispensable disc by the Ensemble
Aventure-Ars Musici 1164-along with a woodwind version of the Piano Quintet
in E-flat. The latter is a beauty, and all the readings are absolute
perfection.

We have listed the instruments these works were written for. But all of them
have been played on other instruments. The Adagio and Allegro is often
played by English horn, and both Polmear and Schellenberger do it
beautifully on the above albums. Pinchas Zukerman does the Romances and the
Fantasy Pieces on violin along with the sonatas (RCA 68052). A recent EMI
release has the Fantasy Pieces on cello, along with the rare Andante and
Variations for two pianos, two cellos, and horn; the Fairy Pictures on
viola, and the Piano Quintet. The pianist is Martha Argerich.

VROON

A work becomes art when its expressive, symbolic, metaphorical, or
decorative value transcends its materials and draws emotional responses from
people who encounter it.