RSO Berlin: Beethoven Symphonies 4, 5. Missa Solemnis. Marek Janowski. Soloists, Rundfunkchor Berlin. Philharmonie Berlin.

Symphonies No. 4 in B-Flat, Opus 60 and 5 in C Minor, Opus 67. RSO Berlin, Marek Janowski. 09.05.10 Not reviewed: Quartet in C Minor, Opus 18, No. 4 - Apollon Musagete Quartett.

Marek Janowski and RSO Berlin committed to doing a complete Beethoven cycle, this past season, yet seem to have come up with at best variable results. Janowski found adequate dark mystery for the slow introduction to the Fourth Symphony. Classical proportions, in term of the Fourth’s outer frame, were mostly well respected, but in this most enlightened-classical of the Beethoven nine, the internal working out of so much within seemed at best only halfway profiled.

The Allegro vivace got to a robust start, but with constantly insecure upbeats – in four and triplet sixteenths, alternatively in the violins – at approximately moderate pace through all this. All the upbeats were given some heft, some, but just sounded too insecure to be convincing. Second theme in good principal bassoon was fine, but as true with other transitions in the first movement, with crudely punched accents from full orchestra preceding it. – falling on off-beats. Handling of progression through straight staccato half note octaves in mostly strings proved stiff and flaccid – and made for equally stodgy results for first theme in closing section to the Exposition.

Development was handled with supple grace - until violins started increasing their maddening pickups. Janowski rushed the Recapitulation to effect of all internal vitality getting taken out, making us wait until RSO Berlin woodwinds warmly made good again with second theme. All then proceeded to an excessively plodding finish.

The Adagio started with second violins loud on accompanying dotted rhythms and firsts sagging on theme, improved upon then by principal woodwinds getting it – very fine principal clarinet being allowed good space for sublimely profiled second theme. Consequents to the first theme got way too heavily underlined in their thirty-second note slow arpeggi underneath - as to have been figuration written good distance east sixty years later. Brief retransition making it to the Recapitulation was very heavily stodgy through both tutti and divisi violins. Duet of horns on closing theme, replacing the fine duet of bassoons earlier in the Exposition got worked instead of being quite allowed space to naturally shape their line; final chords came off very phlegmatic.

At good, vigorous pace, accenting for the scherzo, for not having been internally worked out, also came across stodgy, leaving one a growing, nagging sense of two-dimensional perspective throughout all of this. Winds sang well the trio section, but in section eventually getting too pushed by Janowski, pulsation got thrown off again. Transitions back into the scherzo and coda all sounded clunky and support in sustained slow trill in lower strings, for reprise of woodwinds theme in the trio got mismanaged as well.

Loud tutti chords in the finale bloated and got punched - only undercutting a fine perpetual motion from the strings only so far. Progress through so much transition on straight sixteenths and through tricky modulations easily became too hefty and streamlined at once, ironically enough - no room allowed for adequate separations to be made between groups of sixteenths where very necessary.

Amidst so much sloppy about Bernstein’s late 1970’s semi-live Vienna PO Beethoven set, nobody could miss the triplets he made out of ‘Fate’ opening the Fifth Symphony. Same held true here. Janowski then proceeded to attempt correcting this, but still clipping rests – rests of course on where is usually found the downbeat. Janowski found it on the off-beat. He then rushed the buildup to the first full-scale tutti or ritornello, to try compensating for rhythmic lapse just encountered – thus making rhythmic organization of the first movement of the Fifth something verging on comparable to Lutoslawski. Unmemorable, stiff handling of the second theme, answering crudely overstated French horn then proceeded from there. Over-insistence with transition into the recapitulation and heavy thuds accenting end of the coda all lacked poise and internal fire to sustain and motivate all around decent start to both Recapitulation and Coda.

Even with phrasing well some variations that followed, first theme dotted rhythms in the first theme lacked good profile to start the Andante con moto. No underlining of reaching the cadence in the cellos could be of help, but try Janowski did anyway. Janowski did infuse long sustained arch from first refrain to second variation with good sense of awe. Coming off repeat of this however, brass and winds conspicuously, sounded lost on their voicing, leading principal bassoon to come in for some of the same dotted half note chords (that strings alone had previously) with new pitches for two or three of them. Janowski then reined things in good and tight, but with pummeling next statement of the refrain. Transition through minor mode episode proceeded well, until self-conscious underlining of slow scale-wise passages in the winds. The shaping of this Andante overall, with fine resonance all across RSO Berlin, was good - such to have left it, if not the most inspiring profile, adequate.

Cellos and basses had to wait until shift to the subtonic (B-flat Minor) to find thematic shape.. Horns giving out ‘Fate’ in three managed to simultaneously be lean in tone and lumpy in accenting. Such stodginess did not fully lift until Trio section got underway. Extra lift, to pianissimo reprise of the scherzo turned precious, but good mystery was found for opening transition into the finale – Janowski letting it slip until right moment several bars later for things to break.

Janowski settled for docking to open the celebratory finale, then rushing through what followed. In order to maintain equilibrium, he heavily pointed off-beats in violins leading into transition toward the second theme – most of the transition once it had arrived spirited and in good shape. Pulling back string tremolo articulation of the second theme to mid-ground, especially upon repeating it, then turned things insipid. Janowski could not make his personalized accommodation of a lack of technique really quite adequately fit in with all the rest. Reference to triplet infused transition to the second theme Janowski layered on with scherzo-like lift, that upon reprise of it in full just seemed all out of context. Even Janowski’s attempt at lightness for mid-finale reprise of the scherzo fell flat – then several minutes later to find Janowski shot-gunning the suddenly faster section of the Coda – usual joyous conclusion here taking back seat to previous obstruction disrupting flow or charge ahead.

Janowski clearly comes from the Central European tradition – mostly its Eastern half we associate with Klemperer, Masur, Tennstedt, Sanderling, etc. His objective classical approach is hardly in doubt, but nowadays the lack of any real finesse and what even can come across as smugness both make things insipid. One easily finds accents too in his conducting too that have nothing to do with anything except to accommodate both his and his ensemble’s technical, musical, and aesthetic shortcomings.

Missa Solemnis, Opus 123, in D Major. Camilla Nylund, Iris Vermilion, Mark Padmore, Franz-Josef Selig, Rundfunkchor Berlin. Simon Halsey. RSO Berlin, Marek Janowski. 04.09.10

No greater challenge exists, not just among Beethoven’s works, than Missa Solemnis – a piece as symphonic in its formal elements as the symphonies themselves. For Janowski to have succeeded at the entire thing having held together speaks of some experience. However, it became clearly felt soon before halfway through this, very similar compromises as cited above continued happening – mostly within interaction between orchestra and chorus. There was thus so little aesthetic to have been gained from the experience. Easier slower passage such as opening ‘Kyrie’ ranked among only barely a handful of exceptions. The moderate pacing had appropriately weighty and measured feel to it. Janowski handled transitions, circumspectly balancing almost all therein, such as not only transition into, out of awkwardly written middle section, but through intimating secondary development within return to ‘Kyrie’ from “Christe eleison.’

Opening of the ‘Gloria’ and yielding thereof into ‘Et in terra pax’ posed no immediate problems, with underlying orchestral and choral support strong, and forward moving line maintained well. The first barriers to achieving clean attack from choral and orchestral forces for Janowski occurred with the ‘glorificamus te’ fugati that while concluding series of them made tentative accents of such. The yielding ‘Gratias, agimus,’ started off too loudly by Mark Padmore, came across very close to as tense, with accenting of Domine Deus’ tentative. Janowski then gave all from the subdominant minor consequents of ‘Domine fili’ through usually very interesting modulations and expressive underlining through ‘Qui tolls’ and ‘Suscipe’ minimal care - unyieldingly so – finally to the extent all direction to line got lost. Even through much interesting coloring going on, forward motion must not get betrayed – keeping whole picture in mind. However, this is also late period Beethoven, which aesthetically requires that such contrasting phrasing and other elements infusing it receive better hint than achieved here of what is their due.

Following phlegmatic close to final ‘miserere nobis’ or two, accenting to ‘Quoniam tu solus sanctus’ proved choppy - separations therein too wide - and following fugue taken quasi-academically. Mark Padmore’s solo entrance withmundane fugue subject, was just that - strictly beat just as Janowski’s conducting of all the rest.. All cumulative sense was weak. Efforts at times to conserve energy were readily apparent, but the strain on all forces involved in taking onBeethoven’s superhuman development of his material through steadily moving forward, but obviously fatigued close to ‘Gloria’ was self-evident.

Opening to ‘Credo’ got some air taken out of it, by weak accenting, too loose a handling of its open chordal structure, and overall Biedermeier feel to enshroud it all; fugato of ‘consubstantiatem’ turned out positively jaunty here.. After Mark Padmore’s ringing, ardent opening to ‘Et incarnates est’, all mystery to so much awe and wonder got lost - with Iris Vermilion (mezzo) groping very well as how to make echo of the right sentiment here – over chords in RSO Berlin woodwinds. One then had to wait until end of ‘Passus’ to find due gravitas, mystery – beyond most generic. Energy conservation even here remained first priority. Mark Padmore alone made ‘Crucifixus’ meaningfully expressive.

‘Et resurrexit’ might have awakened a handful, but one must doubt if any more. Accents in rapid-paced violins, contrary to what might be expected form eastern central Europe, proved positively Rossinian and ensemble loose to reinforce a clearly anti-climactic sense to it all. From here through imposing ‘Et vitam venturi’ fugue - it became further and most evident something clearly wrong thus far with balancing between orchestra and chorus - chorus conspicuously placed well in front– enormous flaw too of Solti’s 1970’s Chicago discs of this - Lucia Popp soloist no less. Words should remain clear - none of this to turn into one great diaphanous blend, as for instance with von Karajan. However, once articulation of form gets lost even more so here, so does much else - as especially for what cause any of the words are set to music.

The fugue - right after hard jerk forward with single line of 'Et exspecto' that did not quite match any height of eloquence - proved a repeat of problems that had plagued this Missa Solemnis most of the way thus far. Choral sopranos got found high and dry for strained high B-Flats, plus a couple of sudden speed-ups in tempo detaching so much from all the rest, Camilla Nylund (soprano) rushed through her ‘Benedictus’- anticipating closing lines, soggy final choral ‘Amen’s and Philip Glass streamlined handling of rushing figuration in strings to attempt offsetting the anomaly of how all this occurred.

Soggy launch of ‘Sanctus’ came as no surprise - flaccid placing of accents all about. How one could miss shape to ‘Pleni sunt coeli’ – the simply laid out forthright fugato this is and that of brief ‘Osanna’ to follow was curious indeed – in anticipation of a flat-line while still sonorous Praeludium.. Solo violin obbligato to the Benedictus, unfortunately abetted by RSO winds toward the start of it, proved very shift, accent heavy with little point to it being so. It also proved awkward support for Camilla Nylund, who achieved sweet enough tone on top, good feel for her lines, but support issues of her own all the same. There could have even been quite a fight on her hands, but she graciously avoided such. Slow choral re-entry of ‘Osanna’ toward bringing things down to earth hardly achieved such; there was little here from which to have descended.

Franz-Josef Selig, who earlier proved curiously baritonal, made so very expressive the most of his opening lines in ‘Agnus Dei.’, providing first clear direction to line, even with the still ever dependable bassoons of RSO Berlin to have preceded him, and the steady, reliably very expressive Iris Vermilion – nearly his equal here – to follow him. Brass of RSO Berlin here though proved soggy through ‘Miserere nobis’ for what should instead be hieratic. Camilla Nylund, with melos, sounded refreshed from having emerged relatively unscathed from the preceding ‘Benedictus’ – real minefield that it could have become. Janowski eventually caught on with energy to spare to limn expressive obbligato lines in his violins, for us to hear expressive change of color and harmony through them – one of his better moments throughout the entirety of this.

Minimal calibration for accenting ‘Dona nobis pacem’, including for its martial accents, proved inadequate. Sweeping, broad statement to vulgar extent got made out of repeated cadential phrase out of this - such that closes the entire work, underneath weakly achieved, supported lines of staccato, light legato in first flutes and violins.

As for the soloists, Iris Vermilion, with rich, even tone, proved a strong asset throughout. Mark Padmore had issues with vocal placement vis-à-vis so much awkward writing, but along with his expressive account of ‘Crucifixus’, he was most effective in some of this part’s most incisive writing, i.e., the agitated pages during ‘Dona nobis pacem’ soon before the end. What sounded mediocre was going for kind of a fake head or falsetto for also in ‘Agnus Dei’ the writing in duet with the mezzo (Iris Vermilion), for what amounted to duet between two contraltos, even blues-y at it – with little from Janowski to counteract such - Angus Dei then, when it’s got the blues.

Padmore is remembered as the very fine Bach Matthew Passion Evangelist for Rattle last spring. Camilla Nylund faced here a part one size smaller than she is most accustomed to sing nowadays, but shaped it here as though having been all along a lyric - we know from not only recent choice of repertoire certainly a pushed lyric perhaps more often than should be. It only depends on what one’s standard is as to what should be expected of getting performed this peak among late 18th century and Romantic choral repertoire – a work so uniquely, elusively cast in such an intellectually achieved free-form orchestral layout. There still remain those capable of approximating well what aesthetic vision in mind here is - highly doubtful Janowski ever might join that select few.

DSO Berlin: Schumann Szenen aus Goethes Faust - in most holistic perspective - Ingo Metzmacher, Christian Gerhaber - Philharmonie 26.02.2010

One of the most unqualified triumphs that Ingo Metzmacher has had in the U.S. was his rendition of Der Paradies und die Peri with San Francisco in 2006 – work he repeated two years later in Berlin very successfully as well. That now makes it that I have heard very nearly complete both Schumann oratorios from him. No (other) conductor I can recall has recorded both oratorios. Giuseppe Sinopoli certainly would have found his way to Scenes from Faust, had he lived longer - having only instead recorded the earlier oratorio of the two – based on Persian Islamic morality tale of sorts.

I have yet to hear Metzmacher on any of the symphonies; a friend of mine in Florence heard him conduct the Rhenish with the May festival orchestra there last fall. Perhaps the most elusive among Schumann’s choral works, most aesthetically fulfilling too is indeed Scenes from Faust. It is intriguing how with dulled mind he suffered that Schumann accomplished – process disjunct over period of years – so very much in writing it.

What attempts there have been at Schumann’s Faust on disc have been curious thus far. Most eccentric in forcing conformism with personal model of historically informed practice, though on modern instruments, is Harnoncourt with Concertgebouw. Abbado, sensitive to other elements, impetus with this music, also ultimately comes across a little self-conscious this way too. Boulez, in 1973 from BBC, combines being literal minded with making a little extra special effort to indicate what progressive tendencies the music contains, in classic teleological fashion common during earlier (and more fiery) phase of his conducting career. Bernhard Klee, at least superficially, sounds most at ease with Schumann. Just about enlightened enough Kapellmeister to conduct this, Klee does so just about competently. He misses some elements of this score, that without Metzmacher today, we might not suspect are there.

Wolfgang Marx’s annotation for Abbado (Sony) raises several interesting points. Schumann first set to music the final scene of Faust and somewhat thus from the get-go had the theme of redemption, Marx explains, in mind as paramount. Schumann’s great respect for Goethe’s text is also cited. Starting off from just these two facts alone, our information about this piece will still most certainly be incomplete - of how to effectively approach it. Whatever mental lapse Schumann may have suffered during the late 1840’s, this work certainly must have given him both some respite and some hope. Very seldom in either pedantic or servile way does the music only serve the text. Marx speaks of the very through composed setting of the ‘Mater dolorosa’ scene for Gretchen. Metzmacher uncannily found way through rests, not missing them, of connecting disjunct violas' upbeats in introduction to overall orchestral line for this scene - very hard to hear achieved this well elsewhere.

A more strophic form setting of this scene would not have served Schumann’s purposes, toward adequately depicting the shifting psychological map that he explored in further revealing Gretchen here. Important too, the transfiguration scene, though this portion of it written before the fact, with subtlety cross-references back to early scenes of this oratorio. Schumann, though somewhat (Lutheran) tradition bound to even Christologize Faust at end of Part 2 with ‘Es ist vollbracht’ for Mephisto (quoting Christ's last words from John's Gospel), definitely had his mind too, in how he crafted this work, on the visionary qualities of Goethe's Faust. He clearly did set such genius to music in such a way that indeed would see ahead – and so subtly certainly partly succeeded in doing so.

Ingo Metzmacher is clearly who to seek toward getting get Schumann’s Faust in way that takes absolutely nothing for granted. In achieving such a fine interpretation of this (qualified) masterpiece, he has also avoided seeking any kind of personal stamp to place on it, to mark as anything belonging to him. He goes about it, keeping in mind very well the utter simplicity of some of the writing, with the same respect as has come from him before for Berg’s Wozzeck. It would be the easiest thing in the world to go about Scenes from Faust as being felicitously Biedermeier for much of it; Metzmacher just would have been the last person around to have stood for doing so.

The overture to Scenes from Faust was composed last, and derives sturm und drang elements from both Faust’s dichotomous, fractious scene in Part 2 of debate with the ‘superstitions’ and from example of composing the Manfred overture. At little more than half of Manfred’s length, Schumann did so in a perplexing compact manner. Metzmacher announced from the outset, without either compromising line or weighing the music down, much interest in reaching from just slightly beneath the lowest recesses of sonorities from amidst his forces for proper impetus to propel this music forward. He also thus gave sufficient weight to what framing Schumann's overall harmonic scheme and patterns thereby provides so well. He then was able to eschew having to overtly prove how supple a hand he has at making transitions between theme groups in this sinfonia.

Most notable therein was achievement of strong dramatic contrasts, i.e. two or three subito’s toward change of tempo that happened very effectively. Propulsion through violin section tremolo runs, abetted by flowing rubato through second theme group each time, carried forward to an elementally exciting conclusion to such perilous example of a Schumann overture. Warm glow throughout DSO Berlin remained confidently assured the entire way through this.

Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund, so experienced in heavier repertoire, was the Gretchen. Nylund conveyed very well the conversational tone in Schumann’s writing, very winningly during early courtship with Faust, and element of Gretchen’s self-doubt as well. Expansion, filling out passages of anxiety made for a little heavy going around a slightly tremulous break for her; working with such optimum cushion behind her from DSO Berlin, she fearlessly took on the high B-Flat at end of the ‘Mater dolorosa’ scene with fine assurance. The confidence she took forward from this with long rest in-between reassured Nylund an excellently achieved beseeching tone for Gretchen’s entreaties as Penitent (“Neige, neige”) in Part Three.

Werner Gura made a most confident Ariel, Gura a tenor whose voice can take on some hardness in its middle to upper reaches. He avoided all that, even in skillfully making Pater Ecstaticus’s Part 3 opening lines – and something incisive as well of depicting a fairy’s cramp-stiffened limbs within fresh naivete of Ariel’s music. Gura reveled in the warmth of Elysian atmosphere, sonorous plush all about (though with harps slightly obscured in Philharmonie acoustic behind strings and flutes). With spirit ears well tuned, Gura as Ariel greeted dawning of a new day with both lyrical and heroic assurance.

Mojca Erdmann made her sweet toned higher lyric soprano ideal in this cast of soloists, with only slight hint of acid to her sound as Sorge (Worry) - leading superstition vis-à-vis Faust at midnight. Such amounted to little more than just a fine, though sharply applied Vienniese accent to her diction and production. Making for foreign, contrasting color to more Northern accents all about, it worked ideally well. Georg Zeppenfeld made subtle, straightforward, case for nemesis to Faust. While showing himself always ready to stand his ground to Gerhaber’s Faust, he very prudently waited all the way to very close to end of Fausts Tod (end of Part 2) to show his fangs otherwise. He then provided fine sonority, introspective gravitas for Pater Profondus; his voice blending very well with Gerhaber soon thereafter. Ingeborg Danz provided steady hand and voice for supplemental mezzo parts, including Mater Gloriosa near the end – part to help one also recall the ethereally written similar moment in finale to the Mahler Eighth Symphony.

Any baritone, taking on Faust, is prone to look to Fischer-Dieskau as model. Christian Gerhaber proved hardly any exception. His is a lighter voice than that of Fischer-Dieskau – such to at times work somewhat to his advantage in some repertoire. Results for him for at least the first two parts of the Harnoncourt concerts in Amsterdam were curiously similar, very choppy, to those for Fischer-Dieskau (other than his fine Dr. Marianus) in 1973 with Pierre Boulez –only time I recall hearing these two artists together (as caught on reissued BBC air-check of this).

Gerhaber made very clear and welcome well inflected eager, ardent suitor of Faust to open this in Berlin. Taking in Alpine meadows, peaks and valleys in Faust’s midst filled Gerhaber’s voice with wonder and awe, following cushioned relaxation into Faust's opening lines. Like the Ariel right before, Gerhaber so freshly greeted the dawning of a new day. One hardly ever misses certain qualities from an often overbearing Fischer-Dieskau. Making recall of, as Queen Victoria assessed, Disraeli’s manner of addressing her, Bryn Terfel (Abbado) most certainly has done just that. Gerhaber, with der selige knaben round about, gently proved school-marmish as anybody else as Pater Seraphicus. It is curious that he must show up again moments later as Dr. Marianus, part which Gerhaber endowed mellifluously with fine legato and rarified sense of having acquired a higher level of wisdom than Faust could ever humanly know. His sensitivity to dynamics, simplicity of manner during Parts 1 and 2 was consistently highly assured.

In addressing the superstitions for 'Mitternacht', Gerhaber revealed a gift for scaling his voice way down to a vibrato-less pianissimo, while keeping his tone still alive - even again through very long held note at end of Part 2. Gerhaber made so clear Faust’s greater wisdom of distinguishing between what of superstition to shake off and then of what is valuable to be reckoned from it.

Through both stated and implied excursions through the Neapolitan, Schumann proves most subtly an adept player of opposites, vis-à-vis one another, in setting up modulation here for instance from B Minor to, tritone apart, F Major. This modulation is achieved at “Das war ich sonst” during 'Mitternacht.' Gerhaber made Faust’s finding rest to his soul, concerning what he should reckon, both benevolently reassuring and not. Other conductors who have recorded this pass over this transition as merely incidental. Metzmacher hears such a place as essential piece to the internal musical and psychological fabric of both this scene and oratorio at large. It also simultaneously became so clear here how much Gerhaber was committed to and giving the fullest sense I have encountered thus far of living the part of Faust, as set to music here.

Metzmacher made build-up to climaxes for “Hinaufgeschaut’ (within Faust’s Ariel scene monologue) turn out ideal. Metzmacher managed to deftly draw out so much color and find most aesthetically achieved and characterful placement of so much contrasting going on. One had DSO bassoons heard just a little above doubling basses and cellos – and also violins on yielding offbeats in mid-ground all just absolutely supple and succinct. Mendelssohnian filigree for strings starting ‘Mitternacht’ (with the superstitions) was perfectly light and incisive, to resemble flickering of light much more than mere note-spinning. Rundfunk Chor Berlin, including always fine choral and other soloists, was always euphonious and strong in rhythmic profile; childrens’ chorus (or seemingly so) varied ideally well from sounding on purpose raspy, mischievously so, to perfectly cherubic or seraphic only page different between such contrasts. Metzmacher found much spring and lift to what he took on as dance rhythms, even almost as well for his very forthright, swift pace through Dies irae’s in the cathedral scene.

Anything that sounded detached never detracted from dramatic argument overall There were several places that momentarily Metzmacher seemed to find no better solution than to understate the case, for good of the longer view or bigger picture. Such that did occur this way only turned out more the exception than the rule. Even so, in addressing there being an element of dance in Schumann’s oratorio, most obvious for instance in the scene with Ariel, but also in the transfiguration scene, one was not about to address a newly found ‘jolly Roger’ take on Schumann, such as with early Norrington or from John Eliot Gardiner - what is so frankly two-dimensional as such. The simplicity with which Metzmacher infused this certain extra lift to animated passages he did so unabashedly, unapologetically.

It was even to holistically achieved extent - what spiritually hieratic elements are in play - that Metzmacher even continued with such infusion of dance for extended episode or two in the Chorus Mysticus – all toward bringing it and whole oratorio to a most harmonious, internally restful close. Boulez, at other extreme from for instance Norrington, kept his perception to hieratically the worked out harmonic scheme to the final chorus, until accelerando toward climax right before the end. He thereby missed some of the overt joy or making heard satisfaction what goal musically and psychologically is achieved - in which Metzmacher and his forces indulged so very well.

Through substance of melodic motif, not yet leitmotif, and overall harmonic structure, and ever subtle layout of dualism in Schumann’s conception of Goethe, it is obvious this is music demanding some reading between the lines. It still seems almost miraculous that we can have ourselves provided such this well as have Metzmacher and his forces on this occasion. The quality of what ear and intellect was at play in taking on Scenes from Faust was very clear. What also became so evidently clear was the dualism in the inspiration of Robert Schumann, touching upon traditional spiritual qualities in both verbal and musical text vis-à-vis more progressive, futuristic qualities infusing it as well.

Here was indeed a veritable feast aurally laid out before us. There was something of the idyllic world to contrast with, yet informed by the demonic, the earthly and then also the spiritual or transcendent - all as though dialectically part of one and the same. It is all there to so richly unveil what it does indeed mean to be fully human. Scenes from Faust proves so very well a most satisfactory culmination to Schumann’s art starting back so far as the early piano masterpieces we know and love. Its relative neglect, even patronization, has been ill-founded for such long stretches of time until recently.

Whoever has even minimal interest in Schumann scholarship should join in calling for this to get released on disc; failure for positive outcome would certainly make for serious gap in what Schumann exists before us today. Such would be the least way this experience - encountered so recently over Deutschland Radio – www.dradio.de - could have been so valuable.