Miah Persson / Joseph Breinl - Portraits: Songs by Clara and Robert Schumann (2011) {Hybrid-SACD // EAC Rip}

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Miah Persson / Joseph Breinl - Portraits: Songs by Clara and Robert Schumann (2011) {Hybrid-SACD // EAC Rip}

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Miah Persson / Joseph Breinl - Portraits: Songs by Clara and Robert Schumann
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 221 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: BIS # BIS-SACD-1834 | Country/Year: Europe 2011
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic

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Miah Persson / Joseph Breinl - Portraits: Songs by Clara and Robert Schumann (2011) {Hybrid-SACD // EAC Rip}

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Miah Persson / Joseph Breinl - Portraits: Songs by Clara and Robert Schumann (2011) {Hybrid-SACD // EAC Rip}

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There is a curious dichotomy in Robert Schumann's views of a woman's role in C19th society. His ardent love affair with Clara Wieck is one of the great romances of classical music history. After their fraught marriage in 1840, profoundly opposed by Clara's father, the couple settled down into their domestic relationship. As with many composers, Robert was overcome with a creative desire to write songs. He enjoyed this so much that he enjoined Clara to compose songs as well (she being one of Germany's most in-demand concert pianists). Already her career as a woman musician was highly unusual in a male dominated milieu; performing was tolerated, but composing was another matter. One eminent critic said of her A minor Piano Concerto that he wasn't about to review it, since it was written by a 'lady'!

After the joint creative burst of 1840-1841, Clara concluded that her rapidly growing family and the absorption of Robert in his composing "fantasies" were not compatible with her own composing, so she let the activity drop. However, she did continue with her burgeoning career as a soloist, and it was her income that mainly supported the family - as well as Robert's own composing.

As Horst Scholz writes in his excellent, thought-provoking booklet notes for this disc, Schumann's own tastes in German Romantic poetry reveal his (and the poet's) innate chauvinism; nature provides metaphors for the loving female, always searching for her perfect man, and the women portrayed are always subservient to their lovers. Mary Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart) was a strong and highly intelligent woman, but ultimately forced to abdicate, a tragic figure imprisoned for years and then caused to be beheaded by her sister, Elizabeth I of England. Robert Schumann was certainly attracted to Mary's character, and he made a setting of five poems of her supposed words in translations by Gisbert Freiherr von Vincke (although only two of them (nos. 4 and 5) were really by Mary herself.

The young Swedish soprano Miah Persson is now much in demand by the world's opera houses, and despite a busy stellar career, she still pursues her interest in lieder. Her voice is flexible, agile and very pure of tone, especially in the high treble, she has intelligently planned this rather unusual recital programme. Groups of Robert's songs are interspersed with those of Clara; 3 from her Op. 13 and the Three Lieder Op.12. The programme begins with 6 songs from Robert's "wedding works" (Op. 25, Myrthen). After the Gedichte der Königen Maria Stuart tracks, a clever touch relieves the tragic atmosphere with Volksliedschen (Op.51,2), Robert's delectable tongue-in-cheek parody of a simple German folksong.

Miah Persson's interpretations are mostly very good in the first two groups of Robert Schumann's songs, with their poetic intents clearly expressed. Sometimes, however, enthusiasm takes over and Schumann's carefully noted dynamics are flouted, resulting in some over-loud crescendos. Suleika's Song (Track 4) also starts much more loudly than the 'piano' required. Clarity of diction is not great either (partly due to the reverberant surroundings, of which more later); I found it sometimes difficult to distinguish the words even when following with a score or the booklet. She also tends to make a rolled "r" sound which is more of the Scottish type than the German glottal one, and this can draw attention to itself in legato vocal lines.

In the Clara songs, however, her performance really seems to come to life, with a vivid characterisation and joy in singing which stands out. She far outshines Dorothea Craxton in her Complete Songs of Clara Schumann (Naxos, RBCD), which is by comparison plodding and dull, despite accompaniments on Clara's own fortepiano. It seems that Miah Persson may have a special regard for Clara's work, and in her hands the songs are as fresh and delightful as Robert's work itself.

The most famous song group is reserved for the end of the disc. Frauenliebe und Leben (A Woman's Life and Love) is a true song cycle, following a nameless young woman's first encounters with her lover, her proclamation of his manliness and beauty, her amazement at putting on her gold engagement ring, the birth and nurture of a baby, then a final anguished blow on the death of her husband. Adalbert von Chamisso's portrait of a woman's life in verse is Biedermeyer domesticity at its most sentimental, yet Robert Schumann ennobled it with deeply felt music. Perhaps because of his growing tendency towards depression, perhaps because it appealed to his own chauvinistic view of a woman's life as servitude to her husband, Robert did not set Chamisso's final verse, in which the now old woman reminisces with her daughter. He brings the cycle to a true circular conclusion, by returning in the final piano postlude to contemplation of the opening bars of the work.

Sopranos and mezzos from all over the planet have been almost queueing up to record Frauenliebe. Its sincere portrayal of heartfelt love is deeply absorbing, and the work offers unparalleled opportunities for dramatic characterization. Miah Persson clearly enjoys and engages with the work, but her performance has yet to come close to the most exceptional ones. Kathleen Ferrier, Janet Baker, Brigitte Fassbaender and Anne Sofie von Otter's radical 1996 DG recording are amongst my favourites. They each develop a credible characterization by subtle use of rubato and carefully graduated dynamics, and use a wide range of vocal colours, which make their performances raise hairs on the back of the neck and linger long in the memory. (There is also a very good performance of Frauenliebe on SACD by Elly Ameling (Schumann: Frauenliebe- und Leben, Schubert: Lieder - Elly Ameling)).

I must belatedly come to Miah Persson's accompanist, Joseph Breinl, now much in demand for recitals by a number of stellar singers. His contribution seemed flawless to me, with a rich singing tone and utmost delicacy in some passages which seems to influence his singer to imitate. More than just supporting, he plays Schumann's often very tricky figurations with consummate poetic style. The tiny piano preludes and postludes to the songs are exquisitely done. I look forward to hearing more of his work.

BIS engineers have produced a very naturalistic recording of piano and singer in the former Academy of Music hall in Stockholm. However, the large hall is very obviously empty, from its notable resonance, tending to reduce the perceived image of the players somewhat. These songs were meant for drawing rooms and salons, not large reverberant auditoriums, and personally, I felt that the essential intimacy of a lieder recital was somewhat lacking, and the 5.0 multichannel version rather emphasised this. The resonance does contribute to blurring the singer's diction and also tends to cloud some of the rapid piano figuration. These are minor points, and can be partly overcome by raising the playing volume level.

All together a worthwhile purchase. There is still precious little coverage of the lieder world on SACD at the time of writing, and this inspiring, entertaining and informative disc certainly deserves a welcome.

Copyright © 2011 John Miller and

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Miah Persson / Joseph Breinl - Portraits: Songs by Clara and Robert Schumann (2011) {Hybrid-SACD // EAC Rip}

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