DESCRIPTION:
≈ History ≈
{based on materials from the Grove Dictionary
and Graham Johnson′s notes for the presented Edition}
The life story of Franz Schubert {1797-1828} can be described as one of a continuous desire to establish a career as a composer in spite of a somewhat cold contemporary reaction to his works. True, Schubert was by no means an unknown composer: between 1821 and Schubert's death in 1828 more than 100 opuses of his music had been published, mostly by Viennese firms, the numbers almost doubles the total for Beethoven over the same period. The differences lay in the emphasis. In this period Beethoven saw seven symphonies and half a dozen overtures published, while Schubert saw not one note of his orchestral music published and could get only a handful of youthful sacred works into print. Less than a quarter of Schubert's music had appeared in print when he died, and publication was heavily skewed towards the least prestigious genres. Only time would gradually restore this historical injustice. In terms of separate works, almost two-thirds of Schubert's are lieder, and during his lifetime they were the principal vehicle of his fame. Schubert's first surviving song dates from his 15th year, and he probably wrote the last of his more than 600 completed songs only a few weeks before his premature death.

≈ Music ≈
The traversal of Schubert′s complete Lieder is a daunting project for any music lover, comparable to progressively working through all Wagnerian dramas. There is a staggering range of musical details, forms, lyrics and themes to consider. The infinite variety of styles is essentially the result of the composer′s responsiveness to poetry, as each time Schubert was actively seeking to re-create a poem through music. He set the greatest poets of his own and the preceding generations (Schiller, Goethe, and Heine) but also gave extraordinary voice to his friends (Mayrhofer, Schober and Spaun). Against the backdrop of Beethoven's predominantly instrumental style there is no doubt that Schubert's melodies stood out for his successors as well as for the generations that have followed. Yet the irony is that no Viennese composer's melodies depend as heavily on their accompaniments for their effect as Schubert's. It must be noted that not every piece of poetry or musical creation is a masterwork: the longer monodramas tend to be excruciating, the earlier material - lightweight, some of the more philosophical works - overburdened. However, in the course of the complete Lieder one can never doubt that each piece fully reflects the composer′s sincerity and growing talent. It is a fascinating experience to see the development of Schubert′s style over a period of 18 years, and tantalizing contrasts present themselves at each turn of the page. In the present case, we approach a small collection of 40 Lieder freely grouped to provide gradual emotional contrasts. I naturally highlight my personal selections that are by no means definitive: for example, I consciously omit the familiar Der Erlkonig, Der Konig in Thule and Der Wanderer. But then the point of the posting is to suggest that the listener embark on a journey through the pages of the Schubert Lieder - a truly enlightening pilgrimage. In general, the present posting focuses on the more lyrical Lieder, such as the pensive meditation of Nacht und Traume {4:27}, the elegant soliloquy to a river in Am Bach in Fruhling {30:56}, the understated love song of a lone fisherman from Der Fischers Liebesgluck {41:30}, the tender cavatina Auf dem Storm {49:23} and the haunting sincerity of Du bist Die Ruh {52:59}. Several sections from the two large-scale cycles - Die schone Mullerin and Winterreise - are presented as a running commentary against the independent Lieder. As per usual, most of the selections are abridged in some way, and only Der Lieirmann from Winterreise {1:11:58} - perhaps, Schubert′s most perfect Lied - is complete.

≈ Recordings & Notes ≈
The Hyperion Schubert Edition is an exemplary set in terms of completeness and scholarship, as well as a true artistic achievement with each song performed in a thoroughly dedicated manner. Better versions of individual lieder can be encountered elsewhere but the Hyperion Schubert Edition presents with a complete experience and allots us an opportunity to consider each Lied as a separate entity. Copious, greatly informative notes on each song by Graham Johnson - the pianist and mastermind of the entire project - can be accessed on the label′s official site:
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDS44201/40
A cello arrangement of Du bist die Ruh from Deutsche Grammophon's Songs without Words recording with Misha Maisky serves as a prelude for the posting as a whole.

Hope you′ll enjoy =).