Schubert – Die schöne Müllerin

Discogs

I wrote about this song cycle some months ago, in a recording by Nicolai Gedda. This one was released in the same year. Both voices are very heavy on the vibrato, and even though I have great admiration for both, I like more modern versions better. In classical music on record, many times we are limited to the earlier recordings. With the style of singing that belongs to that era. In many cases this is not an advantage.

Together with the Winterreise, this song cycle represents the highlights of the Lied literature. Both are very dramatic works, where a young man falls in love but his love is not answered. Both cycles are written on the poems of Wilhelm Müller. According to recent research, these poems represent a kind of strength of character on the part of the main protagonist. Even though romantic visions and dreams distract him, he is determined to choose his own path.

Having said that, both of these cycles feel like the peak of romanticism. In the end, out of sorrow, the young man drowns himself in a brook. Over love. How much romance do you want?

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