Mahler's Des knaben Wunderhorn
George Szell's classic recording of Des Knaben Wunderhorn
The Gramophone Choice
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf sop Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau bar London Symphony Orchestra / George Szell
EMI Great Recordings of the Century 567236-2 (50‘ · ADD · T/t). Recorded 1968. Buy from Amazon
EMI’s classic recording made in 1968 more or less puts all rivals out of court. Even those who find Schwarzkopf’s singing mannered will be hard pressed to find more persuasive versions of the female songs than she gives, while Fischer-Dieskau and Szell are in a class of their own most of the time. Bernstein’s CBS version, also from the late 1960s but with less spectacularly improved sound than EMI now provide, is also very fine, but for repeated listening Szell, conducting here with the kind of insight he showed on his famous Cleveland version of the Fourth Symphony, is the more controlled and keen-eared interpreter. Also, few command the musical stage as Fischer-Dieskau does in a song such as ‘Revelge’, where every drop of irony and revulsion from the spectre of war is fiercely, grimly caught.
Additional Recommendation
Thomas Hampson bar Wiener Virtuosen
DG 477 9289GH (67’ · DDD · T/t). Buy from Amazon
In a project originated by his own Hampsong Foundation, Hampson’s aim has been to recover the intimate chamber-music style of dialogue which he argues is intrinsic to the orchestral versions. He could scarcely have found more distinguished collaborators than the musicians of the Wiener Virtuosen, a conductorless ensemble formed by the principal players of the Vienna Philharmonic. Mahler’s own orchestrations are retained; the difference lies in the reduced numbers of string desks deployed.
Instrumentally speaking, the results are fabulous. It is Hampson’s own contribution that raises doubts. Long-term admirers should not expect the immaculate finish, honeyed high-art gloss and occasional prissiness characteristic of the singer’s youth. Instead we have a more autumnal brand of vocalisation, one that arguably suits these feisty, individualistic songs of ordinary folk. For the most part the ear adjusts to the drier timbre even as the heart may regret that such adjustment has become necessary. Unable to access his head voice as smoothly as in the past, he cannot make ‘Urlicht’ soar and console in the manner of a Lucia Popp or a Janet Baker. But perhaps that is beside the point. First-rate sound and fascinating notes add to the attractions of a deeply considered issue.
