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Die schöne Müllerin
Franz Schubert

Christoph Prégardien / Michael Gees

Die schöne Müllerin

Price: € 12.95
Format: CD
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917229226
Catnr: CC 72292
Release date: 01 March 2008
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€ 12.95
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Label
Challenge Classics
UPC
0608917229226
Catalogue number
CC 72292
Release date
01 March 2008

"Good, natural sound and excellent notes are part of the package."

Fanfare Magazine, 05-7-2017
Album
Artist(s)
Composer(s)
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About the album

In many details, the first edition of the cycle, which appeared in 1824, is unreliable – and this was soon apparent. When Anton Diabelli in 1830, one and a half years after Schubert’s death, acquired the rights of the cycle, he strove to improve the edition. Diabelli asked the famous singer Johann Michael Vogl, who had been a friend of Schubert, to arrange the vocal part in such a way that it would create the most possible resonance with the public. And this he did: he added – albeit sparingly – some embellishments he had sung himself, when Schubert accompanied him. In many places he saw fit to simplify a few things that he would not have expected of domestic music makers. Vogl and Diabelli had great success with this edition, which quickly superseded the original one.

In the course of the incipient Schubert researches of the second half of the 19th century the original edition was compared with Diabelli’s, and the “Fälschungen” (falsifications) were soon condemned (Max Friedlaender). Unquestionably, it is fair to say that Vogl’s “simplifications” are in fact inadmissible changes. But what about the embellishments?

Vogl’s embellishments for Die schöne Müllerin had a decidedly chamber-music character. Had he performed the whole cycle as a dramatic song cycle in the concert hall, this would undoubtedly have changed. But this shows us something essential: embellishments belong to the realm of performance, not of composition; each singer should invent them anew in keeping with the occasion of a performance. They do not belong in a printed edition, as they bind the singer; when printed they in fact become “falsifications”. That said, a performance practice that aims to be “historic” should not renounce embellishments either. The embellishments that Christoph Prégardien sings here take as their point of departure the type of embellishments preserved in Diabelli’s print (and in a few manuscripts), but where the singer introduces them and how he shapes them in each case is up to his own invention.
Warme vertolking van die schöne Müllerin door Prégardien en Gees
Lyrisch tenor Christoph Prégardien en pianist Michael Gees werken al jaren samen. Dat vertaalt zich op wonderbaarlijke wijze in deze warme en heldere uitvoering van 'Die schöne Müllerin'. Een verzameling eenvoudige liederen in een meestal luchtige toonzetting.

Franz Schubert componeerde de liederencyclus op basis van de teksten uit een dichtbundel van Wilhelm Müller. Gedichten, die het verhaal vertellen van een rondtrekkend gezel, die op een molen gaat werken. Daar wordt hij verliefd op de molenaarsdochter. Zij beantwoordt zijn liefde echter niet en valt voor de charme van een jager, waarna de molenaarsgezel zich in de molenbeek verdrinkt.
De liederencyclus uit 1824, is na de dood van Schubert bewerkt door zijn vriend Johann Michael Vogl, een beroemd bariton en componist. Door de fraaie bewerking van Vogl kreeg 'Die schöne Müllerin' meer het karakter van kamermuziek en daardoor ook meer gehoor bij het publiek.

Christoph Prégardien, vooraanstaand lyrisch tenor en gelouterd pianist Michael Gees, zorgen voor een wonderschone beleving van 'Die schöne Müllerin'.
Die zweite Einspielung der 'Schönen Müllerin' Prégardien voller Klarheit und Wärme, die die improvisierten Ornamente natürlich einbindet. Mit dem Pianisten Michael Gees verbindet ihn eine lange Partnerschaft, die hier auf wunderbare Weise zum Tragen kommt.

Artist(s)

Christoph Prégardien

Born 1956 in Limburg, Germany, Christoph Prégardien began his musical education as a choirboy. He then studied singing with Martin Gründler and Karlheinz Jarius in Frankfurt, Carla Castellani in Milan, Alois Treml in Stuttgart and attended Hartmut Höll’s lieder-class. Widely regarded as among the foremost lyric tenors, Christoph Prégardien frequently collaborates with conductors such as Barenboim, Chailly, Gardiner, Harnoncourt, Herreweghe, Luisi, Metzmacher, Nagano, Sawallisch and Thielemann. His repertory spans a wide range from the great Baroque, Classical and Romantic Oratorios to 20th century works by Britten, Killmayer, Rihm, Stravinsky. Recognized as an eminent recitalist, Christoph Prégardien is regularly welcomed at the major recital venues of Paris, London, Brussels, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Salzburg, Zurich, Vienna, Barcelona and Geneva, as well as during his...
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Born 1956 in Limburg, Germany, Christoph Prégardien began his musical education as a choirboy. He then studied singing with Martin Gründler and Karlheinz Jarius in Frankfurt, Carla Castellani in Milan, Alois Treml in Stuttgart and attended Hartmut Höll’s lieder-class.
Widely regarded as among the foremost lyric tenors, Christoph Prégardien frequently collaborates with conductors such as Barenboim, Chailly, Gardiner, Harnoncourt, Herreweghe, Luisi, Metzmacher, Nagano, Sawallisch and Thielemann. His repertory spans a wide range from the great Baroque, Classical and Romantic Oratorios to 20th century works by Britten, Killmayer, Rihm, Stravinsky.
Recognized as an eminent recitalist, Christoph Prégardien is regularly welcomed at the major recital venues of Paris, London, Brussels, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Salzburg, Zurich, Vienna, Barcelona and Geneva, as well as during his concert tours throughout Italy, Japan and North America.
A longstanding collaboration unites him with his favourite piano partners Michael Gees and Andreas Staier. Soloist of choice for renowned orchestras, he performed with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Gewand-hausorchester Leipzig, London Philharmonia, Staatskapelle Dresden, Philharmonie de Radio France, the Montreal, Boston, St. Louis and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras.
An important part of his repertory has been recorded by labels such as BMG, EMI, Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, Sony, Erato, Challenge Classics and Teldec. He is represented on more than a hundred and twenty titles, including nearly all of his active repertoire. His recordings of German Romantic Lied repertory have been highly acclaimed by the public and press and have received international awards including the prestigious Orphée d’Or of the Académie du Disque Lyrique-Prix Georg Solti, Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Edison Award, Cannes Classical Award and Diapason d’Or.
As an opera singer, Christoph Prégardien has made stage appearences in major European houses, performing leading roles as Tamino (Zauberflöte), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Seviglia), Fenton (Falstaff) and Monteverdi’s Ulisse. In Spring 2005, Christoph Prégardien sang the leading part in Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” at the Paris National Opera conducted by Sylvain Cambreling.
An important aspect in the musical life of Christoph Prégardien is his intensive and varied educational work. From 2000 to 2005 Christoph Prégardien was in charge of a vocal class at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Zurich. Since the autumn of 2004, he is a professor at the Musikhochschule Köln. In a new combination of DVD and book, released in the serie “Schott Master Class”, he presents for the first time questions of singing technique and interpretation in word and picture. Film examples accompagny him during his lessons with masterclass students.
Christoph Prégardien now has a long-term cooperation with Challenge Classics. The first production on our label, released in February 2008, was Schubert’s “Die schöne Müllerin” with pianist Michael Gees. In the fall of 2008 “Schwanengesang” with pianist Andreas Staier followed and “Die schöne Müllerin” was awarded the Midem ‘Record of the Year’ 2009 at MIDEM, the world’s largest music industry trade fair. The duo Christoph Prégardien/Michael Gees also received the MIDEM ‘Vocal Recitals’ Award 2009. Throughout 2008 the recording received critical acclaim from many national and international magazines (Gramophone, Editor’s Choice & „Best of 2008“ among others).

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Michael Gees

'Throughout the evening Gees played as if he had composed the pieces himself and was therefore extremely vigilant to make sure the performance was carried out according to his inner ear. His eyes were not those of an artist intent on reproduction, but  shone rather a lambent look of passion, just as one might imagine the composer as the creator.“ N. Campogrande Michael Gees’ biography certainly justifies the term: exceptional. Few others can claim to have a career already behind them at the tender age of fifteen: Born in 1953 into a world of sound and music, both parents are singers, the piano is his favourite toy at age three. Formal piano lessons follow at age five, and the young musician subsequently goes...
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"Throughout the evening Gees played as if he had composed the pieces himself and was therefore extremely vigilant to make sure the performance was carried out according to his inner ear. His eyes were not those of an artist intent on reproduction, but shone rather a lambent look of passion, just as one might imagine the composer as the creator.“ N. Campogrande Michael Gees’ biography certainly justifies the term: exceptional. Few others can claim to have a career already behind them at the tender age of fifteen: Born in 1953 into a world of sound and music, both parents are singers, the piano is his favourite toy at age three. Formal piano lessons follow at age five, and the young musician subsequently goes on to win the Steinway Competition at age eight and receives a scholarship at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
The child prodigy is hailed as “Westphalian Mozart“, takes up studies at the conservatories in Detmold and Vienna and it seems as if he is fast on his way to become an internationally acclaimed pianist. Were it not for the gifted child’s longing to explore the world of sound on his own terms, to playfully experience his self like the great masters’ music, to invent their music all over again, note for note instead of limiting himself to a technical practice regimen. Michael Gees flees the pressure of a predetermined competitional career at the age of fifteen, leaves school, conservatory and home behind, supports himself through odd jobs, works as archeological assistant and, in the process, for the duration of two full years, becomes a sailor.
Chance leads him back to the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover, where he resumes his compositional studies and eventually graduates. He now develops first rate pianistic chops on his own, composes a number of works, gains international renown as lied accompanist of extraordinary proportions with Christoph Prégardien and also appears in concerts globally; in Paris, London, New York and Tokio. All the while, he nurses and feeds his preference for combining the performance of music of past masters with living inspiration, thereby creating remarkable performances with his instrument.
In 1989, Gees founds “forum kunstvereint“ in his adopted hometown of Gelsenkirchen; the Consol Theater, also installed by him, opens its doors in 2001 on the confines of the former mining area Consolidation. There, music, dance and theatre projects take shape, where children, youths and adults alike are incited and encouraged to discover and realize their own artistic impulses. A steady number of CDs have been released from 1996 onward on forum kunstvereint, CPO and EMI, showcasing Michael Gees’ range.
Since 2008 Michael Gees is associated to the Netherlands label Challenge Classics. The 2009 release of the Schöne Müllerin with Christoph Prégardien won the MIDEM Classical Award and became Recording of the Year. Michael Gees works on solo-recitals which enjoy breaking with tradition, on modernized lied-renditions, melodramas and stage music.

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Composer(s)

Franz Schubert

Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer. Schubert already died before his 32nd birthday, but was extremely prolific during his lifetime. His output consists of over six hundred secular vocal works (mainly Lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large body of chamber and piano music. Appreciation of his music while he was alive was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna, but interest in his work increased significantly in the decades following his death. Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and other 19th-century composers discovered and championed his works. Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers of the late Classical and early Romantic eras and is one of the...
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Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer. Schubert already died before his 32nd birthday, but was extremely prolific during his lifetime. His output consists of over six hundred secular vocal works (mainly Lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large body of chamber and piano music. Appreciation of his music while he was alive was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna, but interest in his work increased significantly in the decades following his death. Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and other 19th-century composers discovered and championed his works. Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers of the late Classical and early Romantic eras and is one of the most frequently performed composers of the early nineteenth century.
It was in the genre of the Lied that Schubert made his most indelible mark. Prior to Schubert's influence, Lieder tended toward a strophic, syllabic treatment of text, evoking the folksong qualities engendered by the stirrings of Romantic nationalism. Schubert expanded the potentialities of the genre like no other composer before.

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Press

Good, natural sound and excellent notes are part of the package.
Fanfare Magazine, 05-7-2017

Play album Play album
01.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Das Wandern
02:27
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
02.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Wohin?
04:32
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
03.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Halt!
02:27
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
04.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Dansagung an den Bach
03:54
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
05.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Am Feierabend
02:00
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
06.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Der Neugierige
01:11
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
07.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Ungeduld
01:46
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
08.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Morgengruß
04:19
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
09.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Des Müllers Blumen
02:09
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
10.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Tränenregen
03:24
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
11.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Mein!
03:38
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
12.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Pause
02:28
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
13.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Mit dem grünen Lautenbande
05:57
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
14.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Der Jäger
01:33
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
15.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Eifersucht und Stolz
02:14
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
16.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Die liebe Farbe
02:51
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
17.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Die böse Farbe
04:21
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
18.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Trockne Blumen
02:51
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
19.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Der Müller und der Bach
04:09
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
20.
Die schöne Müllerin D 795, Op. 25: Des Baches Wiegenlied
03:27
(Franz Schubert) Michael Gees, Christoph Prégardien
show all tracks

Videos

Christoph Prégardien & Michael Gees on Vrije Geluiden (part 1)
Christoph Prégardien & Michael Gees on Vrije Geluiden (part 2)

Often bought together with..

Georg Friedrich Händel
‘Tu fedel? Tu costante?’ HWV 171a and other Italian cantatas
Ton Koopman
Robert Schumann, Wilhelm Kielwasser, Gustav Mahler
Wanderer
Christoph Prégardien / Ensemble Kontraste
Various composers
Between life and death - Songs and Arias
Christoph Prégardien / Michael Gees
Schwanengesang and songs after Seidl
Christoph Prégardien / Andreas Staier
Dieterich Buxtehude
Opera Omnia VI, Harpsichord works II
Ton Koopman

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Song Cycles - Die schöne Müllerin / Schwanengesang / Winterreise
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Father & Son (re-issue)
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