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Review
It is a pleasure to welcome this new Winterreise, performed with keen insight by the German tenor Werner Güra. --George Loomis , The Classical Review, July 2010
How wonderful to be surprised by joy at what must surely be approaching the 100th Winterreise in recording history! Werner Güra s light, lyrical tenor is in immaculately nurtured voice for this deeply considered performance. And its fresh and individual revisiting of every phrase is brightly focused by the timbre of Christoph Berner s 1872 fortepiano, its articulation both ice-bright and, where appropriate, chillingly numbed. In the very first steps of this Winter Journey, Güra and Berner incarnate that oscillation between the storm-blown momentum and the hushed backward glances of weariness and regret which shapes the entire cycle and, indeed, all the music of Schubert s last years. Throughout the performance, the listener is moved by each precisely imagined shift in register and nature of movement the voice tracking exactly Schubert s own transcription of weight and word. Hushed half-voice recreates the sudden silence of a frozen river, then darkens into the depth of a rocky cleft. And it s fascinating to hear what Güra makes of Schubert s ubiquitous line-repetitions, adding a shadow of tremulous dread here, a redoubling of rage and a bite of irony there. Both Güra and Berner are acutely sensitive to the shifts of pace both within and between songs. And the elusive mobility of breath and gait within the ever-circling repetitions of Der Leiermann seal the imaginative strength and musical accomplishment of this outstanding performance. Hilary Finch --http://www.classical-music.com/review/schubert-die-winterreise
How wonderful to be surprised by joy at what must surely be approaching the 100th Winterreise in recording history! Werner Güra s light, lyrical tenor is in immaculately nurtured voice for this deeply considered performance. And its fresh and individual revisiting of every phrase is brightly focused by the timbre of Christoph Berner s 1872 fortepiano, its articulation both ice-bright and, where appropriate, chillingly numbed. In the very first steps of this Winter Journey, Güra and Berner incarnate that oscillation between the storm-blown momentum and the hushed backward glances of weariness and regret which shapes the entire cycle and, indeed, all the music of Schubert s last years. Throughout the performance, the listener is moved by each precisely imagined shift in register and nature of movement the voice tracking exactly Schubert s own transcription of weight and word. Hushed half-voice recreates the sudden silence of a frozen river, then darkens into the depth of a rocky cleft. And it s fascinating to hear what Güra makes of Schubert s ubiquitous line-repetitions, adding a shadow of tremulous dread here, a redoubling of rage and a bite of irony there. Both Güra and Berner are acutely sensitive to the shifts of pace both within and between songs. And the elusive mobility of breath and gait within the ever-circling repetitions of Der Leiermann seal the imaginative strength and musical accomplishment of this outstanding performance. Hilary Finch --http://www.classical-music.com/review/schubert-die-winterreise
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Lately The Gramophone has lavished praise on the Winterreise of Mark Padmore, who brings to Schubert's great, mournful song cycle many years of musical instinct and training. I was interested in hearing a light lyric tenor attempt the work, since that is the voice Schubert wrote it for, but the price one pays is that the more desperate and anguished songs are somewhat shortchanged emotionally. fair or not, we tend to ascribe weightier feelings to weightier voices. Werner Gura's voice is just as light as Padmore's and youthful-sounding, too, as befits the narrator's age. But he has to his credit a moving Schwannengesang where Gura delivered anguish and passion with great emotional impact without owning what we think of as the "right" voice. for me, his artistry stands above Padmore's in the mastery of Lieder.
So I ran across Gura's new Winterreise with heightened expectations. The first few songs reveal what his strategy is. He takes pains to offer small nuances of phrasing to add interest to the repetitive strophic songs, and when given a chance, he dramatizes the songs with theatrical flair. Another prominent lieder specialist, Ian Bostridge, follows the same strategy, but Gura has the advantage of a more naturally beautiful voice, not to mention complete familiarity with his native language. When bostridge underlines the poetry, I feel that he's applying a studied gloss; when Gura does the same thing, it feels right because there's a felt connection between text and music. Comparisons are invidious, and others may take the reverse view. I think few could argue against the beauty and force of Gura's new version. It is tender and ouching from the outset and grows in stature until it reaches the eerie hushed catharsis of Der Leiermann at the very end. Nowhere along the way is any emotion faked or overblown into self-pity or melodrama.
Padmore's recording was extolled for having the accomplished soloist Paul Lewis as accompanist. I'd offer Christoph Berner, though far less known, as arguably finer. Lewis bends over backward to be unassuming, while Berner takes Schubert's piano part to be equal to the singer's part. One hears him as an independent voice, which was also true of Benjamin Britten when paired with Peter Pears in the most wrenching and emotionally deep Winterreise I know. Berner isn't quite Britten, finding less subtlety in this apparently simple music, but his musicality is a great asset here.
finally, gura must be praised for finding a variety of tones where so many singers wind up giving us an emotional landscape that is too uniform and plaintive. the lost, lonely youth becomes alive before our eyes, and that's the ultimate compliment in lieder singing. His Winterreise belongs among the best from the past.
So I ran across Gura's new Winterreise with heightened expectations. The first few songs reveal what his strategy is. He takes pains to offer small nuances of phrasing to add interest to the repetitive strophic songs, and when given a chance, he dramatizes the songs with theatrical flair. Another prominent lieder specialist, Ian Bostridge, follows the same strategy, but Gura has the advantage of a more naturally beautiful voice, not to mention complete familiarity with his native language. When bostridge underlines the poetry, I feel that he's applying a studied gloss; when Gura does the same thing, it feels right because there's a felt connection between text and music. Comparisons are invidious, and others may take the reverse view. I think few could argue against the beauty and force of Gura's new version. It is tender and ouching from the outset and grows in stature until it reaches the eerie hushed catharsis of Der Leiermann at the very end. Nowhere along the way is any emotion faked or overblown into self-pity or melodrama.
Padmore's recording was extolled for having the accomplished soloist Paul Lewis as accompanist. I'd offer Christoph Berner, though far less known, as arguably finer. Lewis bends over backward to be unassuming, while Berner takes Schubert's piano part to be equal to the singer's part. One hears him as an independent voice, which was also true of Benjamin Britten when paired with Peter Pears in the most wrenching and emotionally deep Winterreise I know. Berner isn't quite Britten, finding less subtlety in this apparently simple music, but his musicality is a great asset here.
finally, gura must be praised for finding a variety of tones where so many singers wind up giving us an emotional landscape that is too uniform and plaintive. the lost, lonely youth becomes alive before our eyes, and that's the ultimate compliment in lieder singing. His Winterreise belongs among the best from the past.
3 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Technically almost faultless this is very convincing approach but to my ears just a bit too heroic for a work that should convey a sense of unhinged desperation and hopelessness. Still, a valid approach in many ways and beautifully recorded.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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6 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
One of the very best Winterreises from a tenor, or any other voice
14 April 2010
Format:Audio CD
Lately The Gramophone has lavished praise on the Winterreise of Mark Padmore, who brings to Schubert's great, mournful song cycle many years of experience, most of it in Baroque music. I was interested in hearing a light lyric tenor attempt the work, since that is the voice Schubert wrote it for, but the price one pays is that the more desperate and anguished songs are somewhat shortchanged emotionally. Fairly or not, we tend to ascribe weightier feelings to weightier voices. Werner Gura's timbre is just as light as Padmore's but more youthful-sounding and ardent, as befits the lovelorn wanderer's age. Already the singer has to his credit a moving Schwanengesang where he delivered anguish and passion with great emotional impact. For me, Gura stands above Padmore in his mastery of lieder.
So I came to his Winterreise with heightened expectations. The first few songs reveal what Gura's strategy is. He takes pains over his phrasing to add interest in the repetitive strophic songs, and when given a chance, he dramatizes the melody with theatrical flair. There's a sense of vibrancy and risk-taking that marks the best lieder singers. Another prominent song specialist, Ian Bostridge, follows the same strategy, but Gura has the advantage of a more naturally beautiful voice, not to mention complete ease with his native language. When Bostridge underlines the poetry, I feel that he's applying a studied gloss; when Gura does the same thing, it feels right because there's a felt connection between text and music. Others may take the reverse view, but few could argue against the beauty and force of Gura's new version. It is tender and touching from the outset and grows in stature until it reaches the eerie hushed catharsis of Der Leiermann at the very end. Nowhere along the way is emotion overblown into self-pity or melodrama.
Padmore's recording was extolled for having the accomplished soloist Paul Lewis as accompanist. I'd offer Christoph Berner, though far less known, as arguably finer. Lewis bends over backward to be unassuming, while Berner takes Schubert's piano part to be equal to the singer's. One hears him as an independent voice, which was also true of Benjamin Britten when paired with Peter Pears in the most wrenching and emotionally deep Winterreise I know. Berner plays an 1872 fortepiano, we are told, but it sounds exactly like a modern pianoforte to me.
Finally, Gura must be praised for finding a variety of tones where so many singers wind up giving us an emotional landscape that is too uniform and plaintive. The lost, lonely youth becomes alive before our eyes, and that's the ultimate compliment in lieder singing. His Winterreise belongs among the best from the past.
So I came to his Winterreise with heightened expectations. The first few songs reveal what Gura's strategy is. He takes pains over his phrasing to add interest in the repetitive strophic songs, and when given a chance, he dramatizes the melody with theatrical flair. There's a sense of vibrancy and risk-taking that marks the best lieder singers. Another prominent song specialist, Ian Bostridge, follows the same strategy, but Gura has the advantage of a more naturally beautiful voice, not to mention complete ease with his native language. When Bostridge underlines the poetry, I feel that he's applying a studied gloss; when Gura does the same thing, it feels right because there's a felt connection between text and music. Others may take the reverse view, but few could argue against the beauty and force of Gura's new version. It is tender and touching from the outset and grows in stature until it reaches the eerie hushed catharsis of Der Leiermann at the very end. Nowhere along the way is emotion overblown into self-pity or melodrama.
Padmore's recording was extolled for having the accomplished soloist Paul Lewis as accompanist. I'd offer Christoph Berner, though far less known, as arguably finer. Lewis bends over backward to be unassuming, while Berner takes Schubert's piano part to be equal to the singer's. One hears him as an independent voice, which was also true of Benjamin Britten when paired with Peter Pears in the most wrenching and emotionally deep Winterreise I know. Berner plays an 1872 fortepiano, we are told, but it sounds exactly like a modern pianoforte to me.
Finally, Gura must be praised for finding a variety of tones where so many singers wind up giving us an emotional landscape that is too uniform and plaintive. The lost, lonely youth becomes alive before our eyes, and that's the ultimate compliment in lieder singing. His Winterreise belongs among the best from the past.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Wow
2 Mar 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
There are SO many recordings of this set, probably Schubert's most famous lieder. I'm not certain, out of all the choices, what drew me to this recording, but it garnered an excellent review on the Music International website. Anytime a singer and accompanist can put forward an interpretation that instantly brings to mind the very best of versions past, Fischer-Dieskau or Goerne or Pears or Schreier, it has one pay notice. The tragedy is that we music buyers too often allow the old classic renditions to burn their way so deeply into our consciousness that a new offering can be easily dismissed or overlooked. I'm here to tell you Gura and Berner do an outstanding job, a "wow" job. Both offer incredibly committed performances, bringing the poignancy of Muller's poetry to life. It's so easy to close your eyes and imagine the young protagonist on his wanderings as he contemplates the end of love, the end of life. I highly recommend this recording!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
memorable Winterreise interpretation
6 Aug 2010
Format:Audio CD
The tenor Werner Gura, born 1964, gives an exemplary performance of Schubert's dark masterpiece Die Winterreise. His voice is clear, firm as well as fresh and his interpretation is ardent and dramatic. He expertly portrays the various shifting moods of Schubert's song cycle. His equal partner is Christoph Berner, who plays a pianoforte Ronisch of 1872. This period instrument has a beautiful and solid tone which might easily be confused for a more modern instrument. Berner's descriptive playing is an ideal match for Gura'a singing. If you are seeking a performance of Die Winterreise by a tenor, this version is extremely satisfactory and belongs near the head of the list. The sound is well balanced, warm clear and realistic. A distinguished release.
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