Review Summary: This CD is worth purchasing for those who look for a precise interpretation of Erwartung. As for Pierrot Lunaire and the "Lied der Waldtaube", the recording might be an interesting option for those interested in seeing these pieces in a different light.
Arnold Schoenberg – Erwartung / Pierrot Lunaire / “Lied der Waldtaube” (1993)
Arnold Schoenberg is unquestionably one of the pivotal composers of the 20th century. By opening new aesthetic horizons, he played a crucial role in the development of contemporary classical music. This Sony Classical CD includes 1978 recordings of two works from Schoenberg's expressionist period: Erwartung (1909) and Pierrot Lunaire (1912). It also features an excerpt from the Gurre-Lieder: “Der Lied Der Waldtaube”.
Erwartung is a “monodrama” that takes the listener on a terrifying emotional journey through dark woods at night. It is a symbolist tale of a woman searching anxiously for her lover in the forest. Being subjected to all the terrors of darkness in her search, she eventually finds the murdered body of her lover. Under the direction of Pierre Boulez, the BBC Symphony Orchestra delivers a menacing and tormented accompaniment perfectly appropriate for the atmosphere commanded by this piece. Janis Martin’s anxious and hysterical vocal performance is also a very strong point in this recording. Boulez’ analytic direction adds a sense of clarity to a very complex score, highlighting the different polyphonic lines. Erwartung definitely benefits from the conductor’s precision and sense of the details in offering a chirurgical rendition of the piece. His cold formal approach to the score serves the anxious and tormented mood of the piece very well.
The second work, Pierrot Lunaire, is the famous setting of 21 selected poems by Belgian poet Albert Giraud. Compared to the dark, oppressive atmosphere of Erwartung, the piece is lighter, dreamy and more ironic. Pierrot Lunaire is generally known for raising many difficulties for reciters as to how it should be properly performed. As a matter of fact, the use of the Sprechgesang technique is always a matter of interpretation that requires finding the right balance between singing and speaking. Many performers lean toward speaking while others tend to sing. The synthesis between both is often hard to achieve.
Although extremely well done, Yvonne Minton’s performance has often been criticized for containing too much singing. It’s true that she seems to privilege singing, which can indeed be regarded as a departure from the intentions of the composer. This is probably not the recording that should be recommended if you want to get a correct understanding of what the piece is supposed to sound like, at least on a vocal level. But we could argue for hours about what a perfect and faithful rendition should sound like because we always interpret and listen to music with our own cultural, educational, and personal references or expectations. This performance can be regarded as bringing a different flavor to the piece: despite its more lyrical approach, it adds a strange touch of madness and frivolity that fits very well with the mood of the piece.
The CD is completed by a very nice interpretation of the “Lied der Waldtaube” from the Gurrelieder. Attention must be paid, however, to the fact that this is an arrangement for a chamber orchestra. This might be disconcerting or disappointing to those accustomed to its full symphonic orchestration. It is also best to listen to this song in the context of the complete Gurre-Lieder oratorio. And yet this intimist version of this song is particularly worth listening for the emotional interpretation by mezzo-soprano Jessye Norman. The expressiveness of her vocal lines fully complies with the post-romantic mood of this piece.
In conclusion, this CD is worth purchasing for those who look for a recording of Erwartung, which is quite faithful to the composer’s expressive and formal intentions, as far as we can ever know them. For those unfamiliar with this kind of music, this recording may be a good introduction to one of the masterpieces of Schoenberg. It remains, however, a complex work, and the atonal language of the composer can be challenging for ears unfamiliar with this modernist style of composition. It would probably take several listenings to understand and appreciate the logic, mood, and psychoanalytic implications of the work. As for Pierrot Lunaire, the issue is a bit different. This recording is an interesting option for those interested in seeing the piece in a different light. This rendition would probably not have had the approval of the composer, but it is worth listening to anyway. And despite the unusual arrangement, “Lied der Waldtaube” is also of great interest.
