Alban Berg - Songs

Alban BERG (1885-1935)

Songs

Seven Early Songs
Five Orchestral Songs
Youthful Songs*
Two Songs

Jessye Norman (Soprano)
Ann Schein (Piano)*

London Symphony Orchestra

Pierre Boulez

 In this CD, the first 7 Lieder and 5 Altenberg Lieder op. 4, with the London symphony orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez, from 1984 to 1987, and a collection of youth Lieder – 14 – with Ann Schein at the piano. The centre piece is undoubtedly these famous Altenberg Lieder.

One is impressed by Jessye Norman who we did not imagine in this repertory, this is out-standards, and one will cherish the Lieder of youth with piano accompaniment, certainly a little schumannian or straussian, but given with an astonishing naturalness.

This version of Altenberg Lieder exceeds the preceding version of Boulez with Halina Lukomska and the BBC symphony orchestra – CBS 1967 – I so cherished the included 3 pieces op. 6 included in this album till I got a Kubelík concert…. Vocally, it is obvious, but the direction of Boulez appears more expressive to me here, while respecting the text, whereas the most recent version of Abbado in Vienna for DG in 2002 with Juliane Banse seems to me a little too detailed at the expense of expressions.