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Webern: Vocal and Orchestral Works / Craft, Arnold, Booth, Et Al
Naxos

Webern: Vocal and Orchestral Works / Craft, Arnold, Booth, Et Al

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Details

Composer
WEBERN, ANTON
Artist
Craft, Arnold, Booth, Wilson-Johnson, S
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
Jul 28, 2009
Catalog #
8557531
UPC
747313253128

About



WEBERN Ricercata from Bach’s “Musical Offering.” 5 2 Songs, op. 19. 4,6 5 Movements for String Orchestra. 6 2 Songs, op. 8. 1,5 5 Pieces for Orchestra, op. 10. 6 4 Songs, op. 13. 1,5 6 Songs, op. 14. 1,5 5 Sacred Songs, op. 15. 1,5 Das Augenlicht. 4,6 Variations for Orchestra. 5 Second Cantata 2,3,4,6 • Robert Craft, cond; Tony Arnold (sop); 1 Claire Booth (sop); 2 David Wilson-Johnson (bs); 3 Simon Joly Ch; 4 20th Century Classics Ens; 5 Philharmonia O 6 • NAXOS 8.557531 (79:32)


Craft was the first to record Webern’s “complete” works, back in the 1950s. His four- LP monaural Columbia album was a revelation—and a tribute to the commercial daring of Columbia’s Goddard Lieberson. Although there had been four or five earlier recordings of single Webern works, Craft’s set joined only one other Webern piece in the 1957 Schwann catalogs. It was to remain available for more than two decades, until succeeded by Boulez’s stereo remake in 1979, dubbed—at the last minute—Vol. 1 because a trove of previously unknown works had been discovered. While the stereo LPs were a great improvement, both for their sound quality and their performances, the latter were due to the singers and players more than to the conductor. Webern had gained respect—indeed, had become the guru of musical academia—and musicians were leaning how to perform his works. The learning curve continued well into the CD era; an appropriate punctuation being the 1992 appearance of a superb Webern disc by the Netherlands Ballet Orchestra (nla). Now everyone could play Webern (if not yet sing him), not just the avant-garde specialists. Listeners of my generation learned Webern from that first Craft set, and we are forever in his debt. If he could not then convince us of the music’s beauty, he drew our attention and piqued our interest.


The Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble is a group contracted for Craft’s recordings, its players handpicked by cellist Fred Sherry. Personnel listings for each piece show it to include the best of free-lance American musicians—I am almost afraid to name some, for fear of slighting equally superb colleagues: Charles Neidlich, William Purvis, Paul Neubauer, and Sherry are so well known that I don’t even need to list their instruments. Soprano Arnold, professor of voice at SUNY Buffalo, is a renowned new-music specialist; she sings Webern with glorious panache. These recordings were made during 2007 and 2008—the Philharmonia sessions at EMI’s Abbey Road Studio No. 1, the American ones at SUNY Purchase, New York, and at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City. The solo songs (at SUNY) are clean and clear, but the chorus (at Abbey Road) is set in a reverberant acoustic that denies us the exact words, even with libretto in hand. As usual with Naxos, librettos are posted on the Internet, but the texts of Das Augenlicht and of the Second Cantata are missing.


One of the pleasures of any Craft release is reading his feisty, superbly informed, damn-the-torpedoes program notes. As usual, he insists that these performances are the only correct ones: “[W]e can blame the failure to understand this piece [the op. 30 Variations] on the ignoring of Webern’s admonition to follow his metronomic markings. The present recording is the first attempt to play the work at metronomic speed. Thus, the DGG [Abbado? Boulez?] trudges along at about 116 for the fast pulsation, as against the required 160, and continues at nearly the same 116 for the slow beat.” In addition to his chutzpah, Craft is usually right. Despite that statement, Craft’s Webern performances are generally softer and more listener-friendly than either Abbado’s sophisticated, highly polished renditions or Boulez’s careful but often stolid performances. Although dubbed the BBC Singers, Boulez’s chorus is also directed by Simon Joly; with the Webern œuvre now doubled, Boulez’s DG recordings fill six CDs and are currently distributed only in a complete set. For the op. 30 Variations , however, I recommend the vibrant, superbly recorded performance by Jac van Steen on a surround-sound SACD, MDG 901 1425.


FANFARE: James H. North

Tracklist 38 tracks

  1. 1 Musical Offering, BWV 1079: Fuga (Ricercar a 6) (arr. A. Webern for orchestra) 07:46
    Track
    1
    Title
    Musical Offering, BWV 1079: Fuga (Ricercar a 6) (arr. A. Webern for orchestra)
    Duration
    07:46
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  2. 2 No. 1. Weiss wie Lilien 01:26
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 1. Weiss wie Lilien
    Duration
    01:26
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Simon Joly Chorale, members Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  3. 3 No. 2. Ziehn die Schafe 01:08
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 2. Ziehn die Schafe
    Duration
    01:08
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Simon Joly Chorale, members Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  4. 4 I. Heftig bewegt 02:59
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Heftig bewegt
    Duration
    02:59
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  5. 5 II. Sehr langsam 02:03
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Sehr langsam
    Duration
    02:03
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  6. 6 III. Sehr bewegt 00:48
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Sehr bewegt
    Duration
    00:48
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  7. 7 IV. Sehr langsam 01:12
    Track
    7
    Title
    IV. Sehr langsam
    Duration
    01:12
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  8. 8 V. In zarter Bewegung 03:16
    Track
    8
    Title
    V. In zarter Bewegung
    Duration
    03:16
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  9. 9 No. 1. Du, der ich's nicht sage 01:10
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 1. Du, der ich's nicht sage
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  10. 10 No. 2. Du machst mich allein 01:02
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 2. Du machst mich allein
    Duration
    01:02
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  11. 11 No. 1. Sehr ruhig und zart 00:50
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 1. Sehr ruhig und zart
    Duration
    00:50
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  12. 12 No. 2. Lebhaft und zart bewegt 00:40
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 2. Lebhaft und zart bewegt
    Duration
    00:40
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  13. 13 No. 3. Sehr langsam und ausserst ruhig 01:54
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 3. Sehr langsam und ausserst ruhig
    Duration
    01:54
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  14. 14 No. 4. Fliessend, ausserst zart 00:29
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 4. Fliessend, ausserst zart
    Duration
    00:29
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  15. 15 No. 5. Sehr fliessend 01:16
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 5. Sehr fliessend
    Duration
    01:16
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  16. 16 No. 1. Wiese im Park 02:34
    Track
    16
    Title
    No. 1. Wiese im Park
    Duration
    02:34
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  17. 17 No. 2. Die Einsame 01:34
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 2. Die Einsame
    Duration
    01:34
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  18. 18 No. 3. In der Fremde 01:14
    Track
    18
    Title
    No. 3. In der Fremde
    Duration
    01:14
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  19. 19 No. 4. Ein Winterabend 02:08
    Track
    19
    Title
    No. 4. Ein Winterabend
    Duration
    02:08
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  20. 20 No. 1. Die Sonne 01:45
    Track
    20
    Title
    No. 1. Die Sonne
    Duration
    01:45
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  21. 21 No. 2. Abendland I 01:34
    Track
    21
    Title
    No. 2. Abendland I
    Duration
    01:34
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  22. 22 No. 3. Abendland II 01:24
    Track
    22
    Title
    No. 3. Abendland II
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  23. 23 No. 4. Abendland III 01:38
    Track
    23
    Title
    No. 4. Abendland III
    Duration
    01:38
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  24. 24 No. 5. Nachts 00:55
    Track
    24
    Title
    No. 5. Nachts
    Duration
    00:55
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  25. 25 No. 6. Gesang einer gefangenen Amsel 01:30
    Track
    25
    Title
    No. 6. Gesang einer gefangenen Amsel
    Duration
    01:30
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  26. 26 No. 1. Das Kreuz, das musst' er tragen 01:06
    Track
    26
    Title
    No. 1. Das Kreuz, das musst' er tragen
    Duration
    01:06
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  27. 27 No. 2. Morgenlied 01:01
    Track
    27
    Title
    No. 2. Morgenlied
    Duration
    01:01
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  28. 28 No. 3. In Gottes Namen aufstehn 01:01
    Track
    28
    Title
    No. 3. In Gottes Namen aufstehn
    Duration
    01:01
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  29. 29 No. 4. Mein Weg geht jetzt voruber 01:06
    Track
    29
    Title
    No. 4. Mein Weg geht jetzt voruber
    Duration
    01:06
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  30. 30 No. 5. Fahr hin, o Seel', zu deinem Gott 01:46
    Track
    30
    Title
    No. 5. Fahr hin, o Seel', zu deinem Gott
    Duration
    01:46
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Tony Arnold
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  31. 31 Das Augenlicht, Op. 26 06:14
    Track
    31
    Title
    Das Augenlicht, Op. 26
    Duration
    06:14
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Simon Joly Chorale, Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  32. 32 Variations for Orchestra, Op. 30 07:31
    Track
    32
    Title
    Variations for Orchestra, Op. 30
    Duration
    07:31
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  33. 33 Schweigt auch die Welt, aus Farben ist immer (The World, Through Silent, Is Always Full of Colours) 02:09
    Track
    33
    Title
    Schweigt auch die Welt, aus Farben ist immer (The World, Through Silent, Is Always Full of Colours)
    Duration
    02:09
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    David Wilson-Johnson
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  34. 34 Sehr tief verhalten innerst Leben (Buried Deep, Innermost Life Sings) 03:41
    Track
    34
    Title
    Sehr tief verhalten innerst Leben (Buried Deep, Innermost Life Sings)
    Duration
    03:41
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    David Wilson-Johnson
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  35. 35 Schopfen aus Brunnen des Himmels nach Wassen des Worts (To Draw From Heaven's Springs) 02:31
    Track
    35
    Title
    Schopfen aus Brunnen des Himmels nach Wassen des Worts (To Draw From Heaven's Springs)
    Duration
    02:31
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Claire Booth
    Ensemble
    Simon Joly Chorale, Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  36. 36 Leichteste Burden der Baume trag ich durch die Raume: die Dufte (Through Space I Carry the Tree's Lightest Burden) 01:12
    Track
    36
    Title
    Leichteste Burden der Baume trag ich durch die Raume: die Dufte (Through Space I Carry the Tree's Lightest Burden)
    Duration
    01:12
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Claire Booth
    Ensemble
    Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  37. 37 Freundselig ist das Wort (Kindly Is The Word) 04:04
    Track
    37
    Title
    Freundselig ist das Wort (Kindly Is The Word)
    Duration
    04:04
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Performer
    Claire Booth
    Ensemble
    Simon Joly Chorale, Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft
  38. 38 Gelockert aus dem Schosse (Delivered From the Womb) 01:53
    Track
    38
    Title
    Gelockert aus dem Schosse (Delivered From the Womb)
    Duration
    01:53
    Composer
    Anton Webern
    Ensemble
    Simon Joly Chorale, Philharmonia Orchestra
    Conductor
    Robert Craft