Lieder for Voice and Piano, Volume 3
Bärenreiter Urtext
Edited by Walther Dürr
BA 9103 high € 34.95
BA 9123 medium € 34.95
BA 9143 low € 34.95
Walther Dürr, one of the most distinguished Schubert scholars, has edited the third volume of Schubert lieder in versions for high, medium and low voice. With this publication, further lieder are now available in Schubert’s original groupings with definitive texts based on the »New Schubert Edition«. The third volume contains not only well-known lieder such as Der Wanderer an den Mond and An die Musik but also Schubert’s best-known song cycle Die Winterreise.
The appendix contains five lieder from this cycle (Wasserflut, Rast, Einsamkeit, Mut and Der Leiermann) in the keys in which Schubert originally wrote them. For the first edition these were transposed into lower keys by him or his publisher Haslinger. Therefore, the volume for high voice (BA 9103) contains a further attraction for tenors whereas the tessituras in the main part of the volume are more suitable for a high baritone. In the editions for medium voice (BA 9123) and low voice (BA 9143), the appendix contains alternative higher versions for these songs.
The practical side of music-making has also been taken into account in this edition. The larger format of the volumes guarantees a clear easy-to-read layout. The extensive foreword by Walther Dürr (Ger, Eng) describes the genesis and transmission of each lied as well as its sources.
Review for the first volume of the new edition
»One important requirement of a practical version is that it be well designed to meet performers‘ needs. This volume receives very high marks in this area: it is not merely usable, but elegant. The pages are large, so that fewer page turns are required than in some publications of the songs, but not so large as to make it hard to use the volume at the piano. Those page turns that are necessary are generally in well-chosen spots. The notes are spaced widely enough to be easily read, and most songs are arranged so as to begin at the top of a page and end at the bottom of a page, using space well. Articulation marks are clear and legible; vocal texts are well-spaced and in a clear, attractive font; suggested appoggiatura rhythms and »ossia« passages are offered directly above the relevant bars. (...)
The practical edition provides much of the information that thoughtful performers need – scores, texts, translations and commentary in a compact package that offers a number of performance alternatives. In addition, it alerts performers to yet more options that can be explored further in the complete NSA. The practical edition thus offers an important vision of what an editor‘s task should be: not only to eliminate inaccuracies, but also to present a range of appropriate musical choices that reflect the works both as they were composed and as they were performed in their historical context.«
Lisa Feurzeig (Grand Valley State University)
(Nineteenth-Century Music Review, Volume 4, Issue 1)