Search - Hugo [Composer] Wolf, Gerald Moore, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau :: Wolf: Mörike Lieder

Exceptional Wolf Liederabend by Dieskau and Moore

Victor G.M.Tamm | Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Brazil | 10/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recital was recorded live from the 1961 edition of the Salzburg Festival, at a time when Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's voice was characterized by a somewhat darker timber in comparison to the mellower tone it displays in the more familiar recordings from the late 60s and early 70s. Fischer-Dieskau was arguably the foremost interpreter of the German lied repertoire the world has ever known. For this Liederabend, he and Gerald Moore selected 20 songs out of Hugo Wolf's 53 Gedichte von Eduard Mörike für eine Singstimme und Klavier (1888). This is indeed a far less comprehensive survey of the collection, when compared to the great German baritone's studio recordings of the same repertoire for EMI (also with Gerald Moore in 1958 - 40 songs) and Deutsche Grammophon (with Daniel Barenboim in 1974 - 46 songs). Nevertheless, in terms of artistic quality it by all means surpasses its two competitors.The subdued mood of pieces like the nocturnal songs An den Schlaf and Um Mitternacht, the philosophical Der Genesene an die Hoffnung, or the sensual and enigmatic Peregrina songs, greatly benefits from the darker tone of Dieskau's voice in 1961. Furthermore, in lieder dealing with springtime and the delight experienced through direct contact with nature, such as Im Frühling, Fussreise or Auf einer Wanderung, the youthfulness of his approach perfectly matches both the poet's and the composer's intentions. One of the recital's highest points is the highly dramatic rendering of Der Feuerreiter, which conveys a sense of utmost thrill and terror (just listen to Dieskau's hushing at Husch! Da fällt's in Asche ab in the last stanza). In addition, the sheer humor and irony of Storchenbotschaft, Bei einer Trauung and Zur Warnung (the mocking sarcasm of numerous Wolf settings has often been pointed out by musicologists) are here portrayed in a most vivid way by both singer and pianist. Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore chose to close their 1961 Salzburg recital with Abschied, the last number in the Mörike collection. The text describes in accid sarcasm a hypothetical meeting between the poet and his critic. In the famous postlude, the critic's falling down from the top of the stairs after having been kicked in the buttocks by the poet is comically portrayed in a distorted Viennese waltz. As elsewhere in this recital - a great pianist himself, Wolf always places great demands to the technical skills of the accompanist -, Gerald Moore shows here a superb command of his instrument, displaying a real tour de force of exhilarating pianistic virtuosity.For a live recording made some forty years ago, the sound quality is outstanding throughout. Released in CD format by Orfeo in 1985, this is definitely one of the very best recordings ever made of Hugo Wolf's lieder, and I am therefore truly astonished that it took so long for someone to take the initiative of reviewing it for amazon.com."

Sublime

H. Yang | New York | 12/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wolf's Moerike Lieder are pieces that grow on you like fine wine. The more you listen, the more you want to listen again and again. One grad student in music told me, "every composer goes through a phase when he hears a piece of music and wishes he had composed it himself. I felt that way first with the Moerike lieder."As a pianist who performed many of these with a vocal partner, I learned to appreciate the complexity and beauty of Wolf's setting: many vocal songs relegate the piano to background texture, but here the piano has an interesting and dynamic role that requires sophistication and intelligence.Having listened to several recordings, Fischer-Dieskau/Moore sticks out as one of unusual beauty: Fischer-Dieskau's voice perfectly carries the music. I strongly recommend this recording for anyone interested in vocal lieder in general."

WOLF FOR THE HESITANT

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 07/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 20 selections on this disc, out of the 53 settings that Wolf made of the poems of Moerike, form as good an introduction to Wolf's work as I can think of. One can listen respectfully to the entire Italian Song Book without encountering a tune, but Wolf's melodic gift was real and it was attractive when he chose to show it. The Moerike poems are mainly lyrics with some ballads, and the sentiment in the lyrics is fervent and genuine, but basically fairly simple. The last two poems are humorous in a teutonic sort of way, but otherwise there is none of the irony that Brahms was rather fond of, and the romantic aspiration is rather more optimistic than we tend to find in Schubert.



Fischer-Dieskau praised Gerald Moore for his legato, and we hear that at its best in the opening numbers on this disc. They are followed by a sprightly and lighthearted Wolf in Fussreise. There has to be a darker note even here, of course, and the fifth item selected is the eerie and weird Fire-rider, in which Fischer-Dieskau surpasses even himself with his downright frightening tone, dramatic without descending into being unmusical. The atmosphere brightens again after this, and I couldn't help noticing that even the photograph of the composer has him looking relaxed and friendly, a welcome change for those who know him best from the haunted-looking portrait in the Frank Walker biography. From first to last Fischer-Dieskau seems to me at his very best. He will have been 35 years old at the time of this recording, when his voice was in its wonderful prime. Moore likewise is the assured master of the entire range that these elaborate and often difficult piano parts call for, partnership rather than accompaniment.



The recording was made at a live recital at the Salzburg Festival in 1961. The quality is naturally not of today's best, but it is perfectly acceptable and the recital itself is in the all-time best category. The liner-booklet does everything it should, although it is a little odd in certain ways. The production is a German one, and German is the lead-language, with English as a translation. The translation of the essay by Gottfried Kraus is a little laboured, which on top of an essay of daunting and strenuous earnestness makes it something I am happy to have read once. The poems are rendered into verse, which in the case of these particular poems is a proceeding I support and approve. It's not madly good English verse, and of course it doesn't reproduce the original words as faithfully as a prose rendering would have done, but for Moerike I still like him given in some kind of verse rather than in any kind of prose, however exact. I would recommend having a go at the German if you can. Another thing I recommend to all except those with the most exceptionally acute eyesight is a magnifying-sheet or magnifying-glass to read the poems, which are printed in an extraordinarily tiny typeface.



Fischer-Dieskau turned 80 not long ago. Younger music-lovers in particular, who may just be getting to know him, can be recommended this recital with particular enthusiasm. As an introduction to Wolf it can be recommended to all, and to experienced enthusiasts for German Lied and for great singing and playing equally if not more so."