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<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nGerman baritone Christian Gerhaher recently performed in Toronto and those who heard him won\u2019t have to be told what a fine artist he is. This new recording provides even more evidence, as if it were needed, of the beauty of his voice and the keen intelligence with which he uses it. This is somewhat esoteric repertoire, but the collaboration between Gerhaher and conductor Daniel Harding is consistently compelling.<\/p>\n
Schumann worked on his Scenes from Goethe\u2019s Faust over a period of ten years late in his career, and completed the work in 1853, just months before a mental collapse and an attempted suicide ended his artistic life. The Faust story has been told many times in literature and set to music by numerous composers, but the excerpts selected have been mostly from Pt. 1 of Goethe\u2019s Faust, as in Gounod\u2019s opera Faust, Berlioz\u2019 Damnation of Faust, and Busoni\u2019s Doktor Faust.<\/p>\n
Pt. 2 of Goethe\u2019s Faust is much more philosophical and much less dramatic than Pt. 1. The most notable setting of excerpts from Pt. 2 is probably the second part of Mahler\u2019s Symphony No. 8, which is difficult to make sense of, even for Mahler devotees. Fortunately, the music is powerful enough to carry the day.<\/p>\n
Schumann\u2019s Scenes from Goethe\u2019s Faust has never seemed strong enough musically to sweep aside the need to come to terms with the text. In this piece, Schumann is not interested in writing typical opera arias or oratorio ensembles; instead, he gives us what might be called an extended arioso treatment. In some respects, this is similar to what Wagner does in long stretches of the Ring \u2013 for many listeners the most boring parts of the opera, but unlike Wagner, Schuman does not provide any easily recognizable leading motives nor stirring orchestral climaxes in Scenes from Goethe\u2019s Faust.<\/p>\n
That said, Schumann\u2019s work is neither an opera nor a through-composed oratorio; rather, as the title tells us, it is a series of scenes based on passages from Goethe\u2019s Faust, organized in such a way as to give some structure to the musical work. Thus, the first section is a portrait of Gretchen and the second a portrait of Faust. From these scenes, we learn that both are sinners and flawed human beings. The rest of the piece deals with their redemption and transfiguration.<\/p>\n
Christian Gerhaher as Faust is at his best in Pt. 2, his death scene. The expressive power of his phrasing is unusually touching and he convinced me that this was some of Schumann\u2019s finest music.<\/p>\n
Pt. 3 is the high point of the work and contains some of Schumann\u2019s most inspired music. There is a beautiful cello solo to accompany tenor Andrew Staples as Pater Ecstaticus, and similar distinctive instrumental touches right through to the end. Christian Gerhaher reappears in this section as Doctor Marianus and once again, he is magnificent. All the soloists are excellent in their roles, especially soprano Christiane Karg as Gretchen and bass Alasdair Miles as Mephistopheles. Daniel Harding guides his forces with a sure hand.<\/p>\n
Many years ago (1972), Benjamin Britten conducted a fine recording of Schumann\u2019s Scenes from Goethe\u2019s Faust and gave this neglected work some much-needed attention; hopefully, this new Gerhaher and Harding version will herald a revival of interest in our own time.<\/p>\n
For more on Britten and Schumann visit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n