Greene's 1934 recording of Der Leiermann is among my 5 versions on CD. (He was 69.) The immediacy of comprehending the English lyrics sends shivers down my spine every time. On the other hand, a Chinese song (for example) will never sound right to me in English no matter how well done. Most good songs have the language wedded to the music as an integral entity.
Still, as my German is practically nonexistent, I would love to hear more Schubert in English!
I really enjoyed the English in Der Leiermann! It's a shame he had to take Abschied so fast. I suspect it was because the old recordings only allowed a brief time, if one wanted to squeeze something in that was longer than the allotted time, they had to go like the wind. He must have been a fine interpreter, however. Look him up, he premiered a lot of English song cycles and special works by British composers of the time. He also wrote a primer on fly fishing that's still used.
A great Der Leiermann. I'm sorry he didn't do Abschied in English. I have always believed in singing in the language of the audience. Music comes alive when the audience understands the lyric. It also forces the singer to become one with his audience. I'm always amazed at American audiences sitting though an all Hugo Wolf concert without understanding a word. I guess "that is art".
Greene's 1934 recording of Der Leiermann is among my 5 versions on CD. (He was 69.) The immediacy of comprehending the English lyrics sends shivers down my spine every time. On the other hand, a Chinese song (for example) will never sound right to me in English no matter how well done. Most good songs have the language wedded to the music as an integral entity.
Still, as my German is practically nonexistent, I would love to hear more Schubert in English!
yingdat 8 months ago
Wonderful... thank you!
CurzonRoad 11 months ago
I really enjoyed the English in Der Leiermann! It's a shame he had to take Abschied so fast. I suspect it was because the old recordings only allowed a brief time, if one wanted to squeeze something in that was longer than the allotted time, they had to go like the wind. He must have been a fine interpreter, however. Look him up, he premiered a lot of English song cycles and special works by British composers of the time. He also wrote a primer on fly fishing that's still used.
1155north 11 months ago
A great Der Leiermann. I'm sorry he didn't do Abschied in English. I have always believed in singing in the language of the audience. Music comes alive when the audience understands the lyric. It also forces the singer to become one with his audience. I'm always amazed at American audiences sitting though an all Hugo Wolf concert without understanding a word. I guess "that is art".
Bivolari 1 year ago