Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: Schubert Lieder

Title: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Schubert Lieder. (Gerald Moore/Karl Engel)

EMI Classics

5 65670 2 (6 CDs)

It is a real pity that EMI's 6-CD collection of Schubert Lieder sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, accompanied by Gerald Moore and Karl Engel, has barely made an appearance in the North American music marketplace. At a time when interest in art song in general, and German song in particular, appears to be enjoying a resurgence of interest, when young singers such as Wolfgang Holzmair and Bryn Terfel are the objects of much praise and admiration, the EMI Fischer-Dieskau Schubert collection provides a welcome opportunity to listen with fresh ears to the "Godfather" of the current generation(s) of Lieder singers.

The nearly one hundred songs in this collection were recorded between October 1951 and March 1965 and represent the bulk of Fischer-Dieskau's recorded Schubert before the monumental recording project he and Gerald Moore undertook for DG in the late 1960's. Considered all at once in one collection for the first time, this accumulation of recorded Schubert Lieder seems even more remarkable than the later DG project because it is the product of the effort of one singer, partnered by two fine pianists, with no special purpose other than to indulge his own insatiable curiosity about the vast Schubert song ouevre and present the results of his discoveries on record. Stretching as it did over fourteen years and nine separate recorded "recitals," it is possible that even Fischer-Dieskau lacked full comprehension of the scope of what he was putting on record at that time. Although the recording of more than 400 Lieder for DG was a much greater project, in smaller doses Fischer-Dieskau had been well on the road to doing the same thing for EMI, as this collection demonstrates.

Why would anyone want to own this "lesser" Schubert collection when the Fischer-Dieskau Schubert volumes for DG are readily available on CD and when Hyperion, under the direction of Graham Johnson, is nearly finished with the task of recording all Schubert's songs with a variety of different singers, an approach surely better suited to realizing the full potential of the Schubert Lieder oeuvre than any attempt by one singer? One answer is that this ex post facto "collection" of Schubert Lieder on record is less self-conscious than the "Gesamtwerk" projects that followed it and emerges as something of an individual voyage of discovery that we are now able to follow. Another is that there is an enormous amount of lovely singing and playing in this collection that may astonish even Fischer-Dieskau's most ardent admirers and encourage some of his most bitter critics to a bit of reconsideration. In addition, this collection affords an opportunity to get at some "truths" about Fischer-Dieskau as a musician, singer and interpreter that have never been so readily discernible as they are when one can survey this much of his work over such a long period of time.

One of the most pervasive and enduring of the myths about Fischer-Dieskau is of his "early maturity" as a singer. Somehow he is seen to have suddenly "appeared," rather like Athena emerging fully-armored from the brow of Zeus, as a "complete" technician and interpreter. The EMI collection demonstrates that this is false. The Fischer-Dieskau of the 1951 recordings in this collection (as is the case with the "Schöne Müllerin" that was recorded in the same series of sessions) is hardly a mature technician or interpreter, as evidenced by the performances of "Der Atlas," "Der Doppelgänger," and "Erlkönig." The tone is uneven, the tempi are occasionally eccentric, and the details of interpretation are not integrated into the total performance of the songs. At the same time, there are remarkable performances of individual songs, such as "Nacht und Träume," that reveal the 26-year old singer's enormous potential.

Another popular myth is that Fischer-Dieskau's early singing was more natural and spontaneous, less "intellectual," and that he then degenerated into the cold, calculating "Lieder Machine" of later years. The present collection demonstrates that the emphasis on projection of texts, including extreme accenting of individual words and syllables, was there from the beginning. Indeed, it is very evident because the young singer lacked the technical capacity to accent words without breaking up the line. There is, of course, a feeling of more spontaneity in these performances, but that can only be expected from a singer at the very beginning of his career, for whom many of these songs were nearly as unfamiliar as for his listeners. The first CD in the collection, in particular, reveals a very young singer indeed, whose excitement and enthusiasm are readily apparent and very appealing. To be sure, much of that spontaneity disappears in the later CDs, but somehow the "Lieder Machine" never quite emerges, even as the singer becomes ever more experienced and his performances more polished.

Yet another myth is that Fischer-Dieskau's interpretations, once arrived at, rarely changed over time. This collection suggests that the truth is a bit more complex. In many cases, Fischer-Dieskau seemed to arrive early at a basic interpretation of a song that remained constant over time, with only minor variations. In other cases, the approach changes quite radically. This Schubert collection offers several opportunities for comparison of early and later, very different, performances of the same songs, including the six Heine songs from "Schwanengesang" (1951 and 1962) and "Der Erlkönig" (1951 and 1958). Conversely, for those familiar with Fischer-Dieskau's recorded Schubert, the earliest performances of songs like "Nacht und Träume," "Wehmut," "Im Frühling," "Die Sterne," "Die Taubenpost," "Der Zwerg," and "Totengräbers Heimweh" are instantly recognizable Fischer-Dieskau interpretations that would change little over the years.

What emerges very strongly from these discs is a sense of Fischer-Dieskau's development, over time, as both a technician and an interpreter. His objective of exhausting all the possibilities of text and music may have been there from the beginning, but it isn't realized until the late 1950's. Fischer-Dieskau has said that, in his opinion, he was at his best as a singer between 1960 and 1975. My own estimation, which is confirmed by these recordings, is that his "prime" as a singer and interpreter was from 1957 (CD #2 in the EMI collection) to 1971 (when Vol. 3 of the DG Schubert Edition was completed).

The hallmark of Fischer-Dieskau in his prime was an inimitable capacity to balance the demands of song and speech in the songs he sang. A good example of his development is provided by a comparison of the 1951 and 1958 versions of "Erlkönig." In 1951, the voice was darker and fuller, albeit unevenly produced. By 1958, the voice has become lighter, leaner, and more flexible. The diction is more precise, as is the control of dynamics. The difference in approach to the song is evident in the piano part before the voice even begins, more urgent, with a building tension, and the narrator's opening lines have more authority. With each succeeding stanza, the father's concern becomes anxiety, then panic, while the boy's fear rapidly escalates to terror. The Erlking has developed from bogeyman to perverse seducer with his violence barely held in check. In the 1951 version, the final "In seinen Armen das Kind war tot" is delivered in an almost disbelieving tone, while by 1958 the "war tot" is hammered home with no room for doubt. In the later version, every word has its own significance, but the song is still truly sung, not spoken. There is an impression of almost breathless haste, but there is never a sense that the singer is pressed. Indeed, much of the haste and urgency comes from the hammering pace and building tension in the piano part. The ever-adaptable Gerald Moore responds to his singer's new approach with a virtuosic performance. The interpretation is stark, hard-edged, almost chiseled in its drive to an inevitable and shattering climax. While there is still something rather cozy and comfortable about the 1951 version, a fairy tale that need not be taken too seriously, the 1958 "Erlkönig" has become a nightmare vision, Fischer-Dieskau's imagination and power of expression matching Goethe's and Schubert's in every detail. The singer has become a master interpreter, and a great poem, a great song, and a great performance finally come together.

It is, perhaps, too facile to say that the early performances in this collection seem to be carried by instinct and feeling, while the later ones demonstrate deeper insight and greater mastery of means. A comparison of the two versions of "Der Doppelgänger" (1951 and 1962) provides an interesting example. Unlike "Erlkönig," the early "Doppelgänger" is already an interpretation of hair-raising intensity; however, it pushes the young singer well past his technical limits. Nevertheless, listening to this performance one can well imagine what dramatic potential Berlin opera intendant Heinz Tietjen heard in this singer in 1948. In 1962, the interpretation has not changed, but the singer now has the technical means to sustain it fully. Is the later version less spontaneous, more calculated than the earlier one? I would say yes, but I don't think that is a bad thing. The singer is more experienced. has more control over his voice, and has a better understanding of what he wants and how to get it. Those gains are paid for by the loss of spontaneity and youthful excitement. Ten years later, the "early maturity" has become real maturity, which exacts its price. As one critic has put it, it is difficult to sound "natural" and spontaneous when you have been through as many levels of self-awareness as Fischer-Dieskau. The question is whether the result was worth the sacrifice, and these recordings suggest that it was.

Neverthless, it is easy to see in retrospect where the development evidenced in these CDs would lead. Somehow Fischer-Dieskau put together and mastered a technique that, in his prime, allowed him to go right to the limit between song and speech without crossing it. When he no longer had the voice and strength to sustain the necessary level of control, the line was crossed, and the rest is history. But these CDs show that when he was at his best Fischer-Dieskau was unequaled as a projector of all there was to be found in the songs he sang, and that the songs of Franz Schubert had found a superb interpreter.

Celia A. Sgroi October 1996

Celia A. Sgroi
State University of New York
College at Oswego
sgroi@oswego.oswego.edu