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Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire, Erwartung / Sinopoli, Et Al


Release Date: 08/03/1999 
Label:  Teldec   Catalog #: 22901   Spars Code: DDD 
Composer:  Arnold Schoenberg
Performer:  Rolf Schindler,  Manfred Weise,  Jens-Jörg Becker,  Eckart Haupt,   ... 
Conductor:  Giuseppe Sinopoli
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Dresden Staatskapelle members,  Dresden Staatskapelle
Number of Discs: 1 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 10 Mins. 

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Notes and Editorial Reviews

Although the composer himself probably would have denied it strenuously, this music really is great fun. The poetry in "Pierrot Lunaire" is simply the last word in late Romantic decadence. Here's a sample: "Sinister black giant butterflies kill the radiance of the sun. The horizon, a sealed book of magic, sleeps silently." Isn't that great? Schoenberg's atonal accompaniments and spooky, half-sung, half-spoken delivery fit the text like a hand in a glove. Okay, it isn't an easy listen, but then again you don't watch "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" every night either, do you? "Erwartung" is similarly over the top: a woman is waiting alone in a forest for her lover, who she may (or may not) have killed. Read more Conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli is just the guy for this sort of thing, and he secures some stupendous playing from Germany's greatest orchestra (forget the Berlin Philharmonic folks, this is the real thing). Alessandra Marc tears into the tortured vocal writing of "Erwartung" with 100 percent commitment--she's fantastic, and Lisa Castellani is no slouch either in "Pierrot's" almost impossible demands. If you actually sit down with this disc and follow the words, you'll have such a good time that you'll never notice that the music is supposed to be "difficult".

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
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Works on This Recording

1. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 by Arnold Schoenberg
Performer:  Rolf Schindler (Bass Clarinet), Manfred Weise (Clarinet), Jens-Jörg Becker (Piccolo),
Eckart Haupt (Flute), Jan Vogler (Cello), Kai Vogler (Viola),
Luisa Castellani (Soprano), Andrea Lucchesini (Piano), Kai Vogler (Violin)
Conductor:  Giuseppe Sinopoli
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Dresden Staatskapelle members
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1912; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 06/1997 
Venue:  Lukas Church, Dresden, Germany 
Length: 36 Minutes 17 Secs. 
Language: German 
2. Erwartung, Op. 17 by Arnold Schoenberg
Performer:  Alessandra Marc (Soprano)
Conductor:  Giuseppe Sinopoli
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Dresden Staatskapelle
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1909; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 05/1996 
Venue:  Live  State Opera House, Dresden, Germany 
Length: 33 Minutes 43 Secs. 
Language: German 

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