Thomas E. Bauer - Liederkreis Op 24 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

It was not until 1840 that, after a courtship strewn with difficulties, Robert Schumann was able to marry his beloved Clara Wieck. This was his 'Year of Song', and Joseph von Eichendorff's melancholy poems of fearful wanderings, images of nature and lonely nights were the perfect vehicle for Schumann's Liederkreis, Op. 39, which he described as his most romantic cycle. From the same year, Schumann's Drei Gedichte, Op. 30 conjures memories of medieval times. The narrative ballad Die Liwenbraut tells of a disturbingly violent love triangle, while the Sechs Gedichte, Op. 36 evokes an idealised, fairy-tale image of Germany.

The impeccable ensemble singing of Thomas E. Bauer and Susanne Bernhard is the finest element in this beautiful recording. It makes one wish for the inclusion of all the part-songs from the Minnespiel, requiring up to four voices, but perhaps we have that to look forward to as the Naxos Schumann series progresses. The next finest element is the stylish playing of Uta Hielscher. Her tone is consistently beautiful, and the phrasing as close to ideal as one finds. Bauer also spins a free-flowing Schumann phrase, due in part to his excellent technical schooling, and whatever reservations one might have about the performances-for example, that the folk song quality of many of the op. 37 songs is lost, or that his diction tends to be somewhat exaggerated, or that his ardor seems slightly forced-these works come to wonderful life through his singing. Susanne Bernhard's bright voice and style seem more suited to the genre of operetta than Lieder, and one finds that her performance of the songs of the frail and enigmatic Mignon does not prove very deep or very convincing. It is interesting that so many great (and not so great) composers have put music to InchNur wer die Sehnsucht kennt,Inch but almost none of them has set it as a duet between Mignon and her father, the harper, as it appears in the novel. Over all, the repertoire presented on this disc gives the impression of having been learned rather than lived and learned, but the musical standards are high, and one can, as it were, fill in the blanks. Bauer may well develop into one of our most notable artists.

Robert Schumann' literary interests influenced his choice of the poems he used for his songs, many of which were composed in a burst of activity during the 'Year of Song' 1840.