Est 1923

Anna Lucia Richter: Liederkreis

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Benjamin Britten, Michael Gees, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann

Genre:

Vocal

Label: Challenge Classics

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 76

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: CC72687

Anna Lucia Richter: Liederkreis

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: The trees they grow so high Benjamin Britten, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Benjamin Britten, Composer
Michael Gees, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 1, In der Fremde Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: The ash grove Benjamin Britten, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Benjamin Britten, Composer
Michael Gees, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 2, Intermezzo Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 3, Waldesgespräch Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 4, Die Stille Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 5, Mondnacht Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 6, Schöne Fremde Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: How sweet the answer Benjamin Britten, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Benjamin Britten, Composer
Michael Gees, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 7, Auf einer Burg Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
(26) Deutsche Volkslieder, Movement: In stiller Nacht Johannes Brahms, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Michael Gees, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 8, In der Fremde Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: The last rose of summer Benjamin Britten, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Benjamin Britten, Composer
Michael Gees, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 9, Wehmut Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
(26) Deutsche Volkslieder, Movement: Da unten im Tale Johannes Brahms, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Michael Gees, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 10, Zwielicht Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
(49) Deutsche Volkslieder, Movement: Ich weiss mir'n Maidlein hübsch und fein Johannes Brahms, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Michael Gees, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 11, Im Walde Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: The Salley Gardens (also unison vv and piano) Benjamin Britten, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Benjamin Britten, Composer
Michael Gees, Composer
Liederkreis, Movement: No. 12, Frühlingsnacht Robert Schumann, Composer
Anna Lucia Richter, Soprano
Michael Gees, Composer
Robert Schumann, Composer
Here is an unusual proposition. Anna Lucia Richter and her accompanist, Michael Gees, offer a recital of songs by Schumann, Brahms and Britten, but with the songs mixed up in a single sequence and interspersed with improvisations on texts by Eichendorff. The booklet makes the point that a musical soirée in the 19th century would have been more varied than today’s song recitals, though the justification for this particular layout and combination of composers is rather thin. Discussing Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op 39, the backbone of the programme, the artists talk of the cycle being held together by ‘a dreamer’s logic’, and dreaming certainly seems to be the order of the day. Anna Lucia Richter’s beguiling, light soprano floats limpidly through the air, a thing of evanescent beauty. Gees accompanies her with hypersensitivity, rhythms and harmonies blending in an over-pedalled soft focus.

There can be few performances of Schumann’s Op 39 that feel so abstracted. A good half of the songs are lost in reverie – ‘Mondnacht’ shimmering in a silvery light, the second ‘In der Fremde’ gossamer-light, almost effete. An extreme point is reached with ‘Wehmut’, sung at a painstakingly slow pace (Schumann does admittedly say Sehr langsam) as though in a trance. It comes as no surprise to find the Brahms and Britten folksongs also very withdrawn, though Richter’s English is good and the Britten songs rise to more open-hearted climaxes. The arcs of radiant tone in ‘The Salley Gardens’ feel like the disc’s high point.

The ‘extempore’ tracks that intervene, the last of them emerging without a break from the Schumann, wrap everything in their own mist, at least until the more dramatic involvement of the final couple. It all adds up to a strange experience, not unpleasant as such, but distinctly enervating.

Anna Lucia Richter: Liederkreis

Anna Lucia Richter: Liederkreis

Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: The trees they grow so high

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 1, In der Fremde

Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: The ash grove

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 2, Intermezzo

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 3, Waldesgespräch

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 4, Die Stille

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 5, Mondnacht

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 6, Schöne Fremde

Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: How sweet the answer

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 7, Auf einer Burg

(26) Deutsche Volkslieder, Movement: In stiller Nacht

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 8, In der Fremde

Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: The last rose of summer

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 9, Wehmut

(26) Deutsche Volkslieder, Movement: Da unten im Tale

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 10, Zwielicht

(49) Deutsche Volkslieder, Movement: Ich weiss mir'n Maidlein hübsch und fein

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 11, Im Walde

Folk Song Arrangements, Movement: The Salley Gardens (also unison vv and piano)

Liederkreis, Movement: No. 12, Frühlingsnacht

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