# Schubert Song Cycles (Female Vocalist)



## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

Die Schöne Müllerin
Die Winterreise
Schwanengesang

Any recommendation for a good and worth listening rendition of the complete cycles (not the individual numbers) by female singers, preferably old recordings i.e. 50s, 60s or 70s?


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## Giordano (Aug 10, 2014)

I don't think there are any, except for this one being released this month:

Nathalie Stutzmann - Winterreise, Die Schone Mullerin & Schwanengesang

Nathalie Stutzmann singing Der Tod und das Mädchen, Gute Nacht (YouTube)


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

I've found a live prformance of Die Winterreise by Christa Ludwig on this YouTube channel, but i'm looking for studio recordings...

P.S. Love your avatar (Dufay+Binchois) :tiphat:


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Il_Penseroso said:


> I've found a live prformance of Die Winterreise by Christa Ludwig on this YouTube channel, but i'm looking for studio recordings...
> 
> P.S. Love your avatar (Dufay+Binchois) :tiphat:


Fassbender recorded it but don't know if still available


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

View attachment 60366

Amazon link

View attachment 60367

Amazon link

View attachment 60368

Amazon link


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## AClockworkOrange (May 24, 2012)

I wholeheartedly second/third/etc. any recommendation of Brigitte Fassbaender's recordings of Die Winterreise and Schwanengesang. 

Both are excellent and the former in particular stands out as a favourite of mine.


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

AClockworkOrange said:


> I wholeheartedly second/third/etc. any recommendation of Brigitte Fassbaender's recordings of Die Winterreise and Schwanengesang.
> 
> Both are excellent and the former in particular stands out as a favourite of mine.


Brigitte Fassbaender has the voice of an angel! Her Schumann's Frauenliebe und Leben still stands by far my most favorite rendition of the cycle.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Hmm interesting, I absolutely hated Fassbaender's Schwanengesang, it sounded awkward and painful to me as if stretching to a place she shouldn't be singing. Suppose i'll have to listen again.


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

quack said:


> Hmm interesting, I absolutely hated Fassbaender's Schwanengesang, it sounded awkward and painful to me as if stretching to a place she shouldn't be singing. Suppose i'll have to listen again.


Perhaps you need to give yourself another try!


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## aajj (Dec 28, 2014)

I've heard Fassbaender's _Die Winterreise _ and it fits her like a glove.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

aajj said:


> I've heard Fassbaender's _Die Winterreise _ and it fits her like a glove.


I'd like to hear that, myself.


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)




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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Fassbaender also recorded Mullerin, it's good.

One of the great joys of some of Fassbaender's recordings is Aribert Reimann.

Another popular lady Schubert singer is Christine Schäfer. I'm not so keen on what she does, but these things are subjective obviously. 

Lotte Lehmann recorded Winterreise donkeys years ago, it's characterful and although I'm not a great fan, it's clearly worth checking out. I remember a good transfer on Naxos.


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## Steatopygous (Jul 5, 2015)

A female soloist in the three song cycles strikes me as a little odd, because they so clearly embody a masculine worldview, let alone being written for male singers. Today, unlike Schubert's time, you could make a case for a lesbian journeyer, I suppose. How much do the Fassbaender accounts change the texts?


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Steatopygous said:


> A female soloist in the three song cycles strikes me as a little odd, because they so clearly embody a masculine worldview, let alone being written for male singers. Today, unlike Schubert's time, you could make a case for a lesbian journeyer, I suppose. How much do the Fassbaender accounts change the texts?


Why can't these songs be about lesbians?


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## Steatopygous (Jul 5, 2015)

Insomuch as my approval is needed, ie not at all, I just gave it. It's clearly far from Schubert's mind, and some of the texts would be stretched a long, long way, but now that I've raised it I'm astounded no one has done it. If Winterreise were an opera, some Eurotrash director would certainly have done so.


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## PMarlowe (Feb 5, 2014)

I think you mean "couldn't" rather than "can't", since the person you quote in effect is saying that today they could be. But if you are suggesting that Schubert might have written them with a lesbian in mind, then you might very well get some disagreement on that.

_EDIT - Apologies to Steatopygous, as I didn't see his last post when I wrote the above (in response to Madryka's post)._


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## MusicInTheAir (Apr 21, 2007)

I love Barbara Hendricks. I have both Die Schone Mullerin and Die Wintereise, but haven't gotten around to listen to them yet.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

MusicInTheAir said:


> I love Barbara Hendricks. I have both Die Schone Mullerin and Die Wintereise, but haven't gotten around to listen to them yet.


Help me out here?
You bought them just to have?


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## MusicInTheAir (Apr 21, 2007)

No, due to a year long family health issue, my ability to listen to a lot of stuff decreased. I've only recently started to catch up on my music listening. Now that I think about it, I think I have listened to her Die Schone Mullerin, but not Die Wintereise. I should be able to listen to it in the next few weeks and will return to this thread and make my comments about it.


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