# The Songs of Robert Schumann



## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

I am listening to a set of collection I bought not long ago, pictured below. I am quite astonished by this apparently overlooked oeuvre. I guess it is not difficult to be overlooked given the great cycle by Schubert. But suspending for a moment all other oeuvres, I think Schumann's songs are extremely engaging. His genius for crafting "miniature pieces" area again transparent (you are probably familiar with his piano pieces, for example), and the idiom truely vocal. For me, this cycle is the "final frontier" of Schumann's oeuvre I am listening to, as I have just about all other notes he has written on recording.

The recording cycle below on ten CDs but with over twelve hours of passionate performance, also came with a three hundred page booklet with English translation, and scholarly chronology of the composer's biography. It was previously released separately on individual CDs.

The purpose of this thread is for you to share your opinion and facts about this great cycle of work. I shall conclude with an opinion and a fact that Schumann was a great song writer!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I have four discs of Schumann songs which cover most of the celebrated cycles (I think I'm missing some from Myrthen op. 25) - I think his songs are of high quality bearing in mind how many he wrote in 1840 alone. That looks like a nice purchase, HC - Hyperion are not exactly known for skimping on their sleevenotes!


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## SottoVoce (Jul 29, 2011)

I agree with you wholeheartedly, HarpsichordConcerto. A couple of months ago, I listened to Dichterliebe for the first time, and had a quasi-transcendental experience; they are like tiny little aphorisms, which is why they always equate the feeling of reading Nietzsche for me. I love the Schubert songs too, but for me Schumann's songs have such a sensuousness to it, with no beginning or end, a mixing of religious and natural feelings which is why I love the Great Romantics so much (Wordsworth, Shelley, and Schumann!). I wonder if you got the same feelings from them. I love this kind of aphoristic writing.


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## Petwhac (Jun 9, 2010)

Who's singing on that album.
I have this album and it is wonderful. I am a great admirer of Schreier's voice.









I don't really think Schumann's songs are overlooked but they are to my mind some of the most sublime and beautiful works in the canon.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Yes, you are right. The set's book showed a month by month account of key events in 1840. Interesting read.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Petwhac said:


> Who's singing on that album.
> I have this album and it is wonderful. I am a great admirer of Schreier's voice.
> 
> View attachment 9478
> ...


Juliane Banse, Edith Barlow, Katherine Broderick, Stella Doufexis, Felicity Lott, Geraldine McGreevy, Dorothea Röschmann, Kate Royal, Christine Schäfer, Lydia Teuscher (soprano), Daniela Lehner, Ann Murray, Leigh Woolf (mezzo-soprano), Ian Bostridge, Mark Padmore, Nicky Spence, Adrian Thompson, Adrian Ward (tenor), Simon Keenlyside, Jonathan Lemalu, Stephan Loges, Christopher Maltman, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Oliver Widmer (baritone), Graham Johnson, Stephen Hough (piano) & Christoph Bantzer (reciter)


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## Petwhac (Jun 9, 2010)

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Juliane Banse, Edith Barlow, Katherine Broderick, Stella Doufexis, Felicity Lott, Geraldine McGreevy, Dorothea Röschmann, Kate Royal, Christine Schäfer, Lydia Teuscher (soprano), Daniela Lehner, Ann Murray, Leigh Woolf (mezzo-soprano), Ian Bostridge, Mark Padmore, Nicky Spence, Adrian Thompson, Adrian Ward (tenor), Simon Keenlyside, Jonathan Lemalu, Stephan Loges, Christopher Maltman, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Oliver Widmer (baritone), Graham Johnson, Stephen Hough (piano) & Christoph Bantzer (reciter)


Mmmm, everyone but Schreier! Check him out you won't be disappointed I promise.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Petwhac said:


> Mmmm, everyone but Schreier! Check him out you won't be disappointed I promise.


Noted and thanks. I shall give Schreier a listen.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

The songs of Schumann hold a special place in my heart, not only for their poetic beauty, but for being the first songs that I listened to that introduced me to the wonderful poems of Heinrich Heine.

_From Old Fairy Tales Beckons_

From old fairy tales beckons
To me a white hand,
Where there is a singing and sounding
Of a magical land,

Where multicolored flowers bloom
In golden twilight,
And glow lovely and fragrant
With their bridal visage,

And where green trees sing
Primeval melodies;
Where breezes sound secretly,
And birds warble,

And mist-figures rise
From the earth
And dance airy round-dances
In an odd chorus,

And blue sparks burn
On every leaf and twig,
And red lights run
In a mad, chaotic circle,

And loud springs break
Out of wild marble stone,
And in the streams--oddly--
Shine forth the reflections.

Ah! If I could enter there
And indulge my heart
And give up my agony
And be free and holy!

Ah! This is the land of bliss
That I see so often in a dream,
But when the morning sun comes,
It melts like mere froth.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Overlooked? I thought it was rather well established that Schumann is up there with the best in the genre (though granted below Schubert). Personally, I would choose Mahler and R Strauss clearly ahead of him (and all of them WAY below Schubert), but that may be related to my general tendency to appreciate Schumann less than most listeners. This is indeed a good set, I also have it - on par with Hyperion's epic Schubert song colelction. I also have a few CD's with his main song cycles.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

A modest and a bit random collection so far here; having that complete set must be great, the Hyperion song editions are generally very fine. 

I also like the paradoxically named Schreier ("Rattle" is quite funny too, by the way).
As regards Fischer-Dieskau, I generally prefer his early recordings, but haven´t found any Schumann yet.

Liederkreis op.24/Schreier
Liederkreis op.39 /J.Norman
Frauenliebe op.42 /J.Norman
Dichterliebe op.48 /Schreier, Souzay
6 Gedichte op.90/Souzay

+ a bit more, including various songs with Margaret Price and Norman Bailey (whose German is unusually terrible, by the way).

I also have his complete choral songs.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

I have always thought that Schumann was right next to Schubert when it comes to excellence,but in any case you need them both.
In the performance of lieder it is necessary to aim for the great singers if you wish to benefit from the real experience. You also need several versions of each cycle.

"Dichterliebe".
Charles Panzera /Alfred Cortot,1935.
Aksel Schiotz,Gerald Moore,early 1940's.
Hermann Prey/ Karl Engel.
Lotte Lehmann/Bruno Walter,1941. Well worthwhile for the great lady but Walter's piano playing is fairly dreadful.

"Frauenliebe und Leben".
Lotte Lehmann/Walter,1941.
Teresa Berganza,1982. Very interesting.
Kathleen Ferrier/Bruno Walter. Beyond criticism and Walter's accompaniment is much better than above.
Sheila Armstrong/Martin Jones.

"Liederkreis".
Christa Ludwig and Walter Berry/Erik Werba.
Gerrard Souzay/Dalton Baldwin.
Fischer-Dieskau/Moore.

Other songs. Richard Tauber recorded a number of songs from "Dichterliebe" and "Myrten" in the 1920'and 30's.They are perfect.
Do pick up- anything by Karl Erb and Heinrich Schlusnus.

Mahler is really from a different time zone but alongside Schubert and Schumann should be ranked Hugo Wolf,how comes he is never mentioned here?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Different time zone? Mahler and Wolf were both born in 1860. I have a fair bit of Wolf Lieder, but like Schumann he does not make a lasting impression on me.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

Another great recording:


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Art Rock said:


> Different time zone? Mahler and Wolf were both born in 1860. I have a fair bit of Wolf Lieder, but like Schumann he does not make a lasting impression on me.


Yes you're right but you'd hardly know it---now would you! Wolf is connected to both Schubert and Schumann and it is obvious but Mahler,not really. You will notice that those three are often included in mixed recitals,but I have not seen them along with Mahler.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

View attachment 9508


From my collection... and a quick google shows more.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Art Rock said:


> View attachment 9508
> 
> 
> From my collection... and a quick google shows more.


I should have known it---you really are clever I admire you! Well I have none in my collection which is fairly huge,it also does not escape the fact that Mahler has nothing in common with the others---but I'm sure you will disagree.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I would agree that Mahler has not that much in common with the others - but would make the same plea for Wolf. His more mature songs are imo also very far from Schubert and Schumann, albeit in a rather different direction than Mahler.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Art Rock said:


> I would agree that Mahler has not that much in common with the others - but would make the same plea for Wolf. His more mature songs are imo also very far from Schubert and Schumann, albeit in a rather different direction than Mahler.


I think we can agree on that at least.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Mahler is a tad different ...


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