This Schoenberg disc is worth having for the sake of Jan De Gaetani's singing, or shall we say musical vocalization. The Pierrot Lunaire is written for a Sprechstimme (or some would say Sprechgesang), meaning roughly somewhere between full singing and speech. There are not surprisingly many recordings of this work, as the vocal part is very tough to bring off, but the soloist here does as well as possible. There is almost a twisted cabaret style to the singing, as the composer had intended, not to mention a dark and somewhat neurotic undercurrent. The monodrama Erwartung takes this musical atmosphere even further. The ensemble playing is first class, and this is not easy music. The Book of the Hanging Gardens is a success too. This is a record to force yourself to listen to more than once, to stretch your horizons. The documentation is indispensable. Excellent sound, along with the packaging and presentation, complete with the expressionistic painting on the cover. Highly recommended.
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