Mein Traum: Schubert, Schumann, Weber

by Stephane Degout, Raphael Pichon, Pygmalion

Overview

Quite a bit of attention has been paid lately to an odd account or letter Schubert penned in 1822, titled by his brother Mein Traum ("My Dream"). Conductor Rene Jacobs has made the startling suggestion that the composer's Symphony No. 8 in B minor ("Unfinished") was not unfinished at all and that Schubert's piece of writing formed a kind of program for it. Now come baritone Stephane Degout and conductor Raphael Pichon, with the latter's Ensemble Pygmalion, making Schubert's account the basis for a kind of dreamlike program exploring the ideas of interruption and disjunction (the booklet essay is a bit impenetrable, but certainly original). The "Unfinished" Symphony is present, although the performers don't go as far as Jacobs does. Surrounding it are opera arias, song arrangements for orchestra, and some choruses (including the famed Ave Maria, which takes on an entirely new flavor in this context), mostly by Schubert, with a few by Schumann and one by Weber. One advantage of this kind of program is that the 19th century would have found the whole concept quite familiar; genres would freely mix in concert, and the theme of dreams is one common to a great deal of Romantic art. Another is that many of the pieces here are pretty rare; Schubert's operas, despite manifold points of interest, are not often heard, and Schumann's Meerfey (No. 5 from Sechs Romanze fuer Frauenstimme, Op. 69), is a welcome dive into the era's repertory for small chorus. Baritone Degout, coming at this material with fresh perspectives, offers a semi-operatic feeling in the sequence of recitatives, arias, choruses, and songs, and it is hard to imagine that listeners won't feel some degree of engagement, whatever they may think of the whole idea. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	10/07/2022
Label:	Harmonia Mundi
UPC:	3149020944790
Rank:	135829

Tracks

1. Lazarus D.689~Act II: Recitativo & Aria: Wo bin ich... O k¿¿nnt' ich
2. Alfonso und Estrella D.732~Act I: Chorus: Zur jagd
3. Alfonso und Estrella D.732~Act II: Recitativo & Aria: O sing mir Vater... Der J¿¿ger
4. Lieder von Franz Schubert, transcribed for voice & orchestra~Der Doppelg¿¿nger D.957, S 375 / 5-R 651/5
5. Symphony no. 7 in B minor 'unfinished' D.759~I. Allegro moderato
6. Oberon~Act II: Song: O wie wogt es sich sch¿¿n auf der Flut
7. Symphony no. 7 in B minor 'unfinished' D.759~II. Andante con moto
8. Meerfey Op. 69 no. 5
9. Euryanthe~Act II: Recitativo & Aria: Wo berg' ich mich... So weih' ich mich
10. Alfonso und Estrella D.732~Act III: Introduction
11. Gruppe aus dem Tartarus D.583
12. 'Ave Maria' (Ellens dritter Gesang) D.839, Op. 52, no. 6
13. Lazarus D.689~Act II: Chorus: Sanft und still
14. Szenen aus Goethes Faust WoO 3~Part III: Scene V: Aria: Hier ist die Aussicht frei
15. Gott ist mein Hirt D.706

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Stephane Degout   Primary Artist,Baritone (Vocal)
Raphael Pichon   Primary Artist,Conductor
Pygmalion   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Sabine Devieilhe   Soprano (Vocal)
Judith Fa   Soprano (Vocal)

Technical Credits

Bertrand Vacher   Text Translation,Liner Note Translation
Franz Schubert   Composer,Liner Notes,Original Material
Robert Schumann   Composer
Franz Liszt   Composer
Johannes Brahms   Orchestration
Adam Storck   Text
Michel Chasteau   Text Translation
August Hermann Niemeyer   Text
Helmina von Chezy   Text
Hughes Deschaux   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering
Derek Yeld   Text Translation
Franz von Schober   Text
Carl Maria von Weber   Composer
Friedrich von Schiller   Text
Aline Blondiau   Editing,Artistic Director
Heinrich Heine   Text
Joseph (Karl Benedikt) Freiherr von Eichendorff   Text
Moses Mendelssohn   Text
James Robinson Planche   Text
Pygmalion   Producer
Julien Benhamou   Photography
Irene Weber-Froboese   Liner Note Translation
Eddy Garaudel   Executive Producer
Mathilde Assier   Executive Producer
Cecile Ratier   Executive Producer
Daniel Troman   Executive Producer
Lea Dao Van   Executive Producer
Leo Tissier   Executive Producer
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe   Text
Nicolas Boiffin   Liner Notes
Charles Johnston   Text Translation,Liner Note Translation