Peter Schreier - RIP

Started by Gurn Blanston, December 26, 2019, 09:29:08 AM

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Gurn Blanston

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Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

Florestan

Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

André

He was a musician's musician, but not a singer's singer IMO, except in his early years when there was some suppleness to his tenor voice.

One of my favourite Schubert lieder discs is his Schöne Müllerin accompanied on the guitar by Konrad Ragossnig. I've treasured it since about 40 years ago, first as a cassette, then on cd. Still as wonderful today as it was then.

knight66

Quote from: André on December 26, 2019, 11:24:36 AM
He was a musician's musician, but not a singer's singer IMO, except in his early years when there was some suppleness to his tenor voice.

One of my favourite Schubert lieder discs is his Schöne Müllerin accompanied on the guitar by Konrad Ragossnig. I've treasured it since about 40 years ago, first as a cassette, then on cd. Still as wonderful today as it was then.

I have that disc and it is delightful. I agree that his tone did dry out on occasion. He was always intelligent and an excellent musician.

In the run up to a St Matthew in which he was engaged for the tenor arias, he was asked at an afternoon's notice to additionally take on the Evangalist's music from an ill Philip Langridge. We had a final orchestral rehearsal without soloists, but due to the circs, he came along did all the Evangelist's music at about four times the normal speed, just to remind himself. Then sang everything terrifically that night and the following night. 

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Rod Corkin

#4
Very sad, one of my favourites from days gone by, gone with the likes of Bylsma and Badura-Skoda, all fine men.

So, in memory of Peter, the finest rendition of the finest lied...

https://youtu.be/z6rnjKsG23M
"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/classicalmusicmayhem/

Marc

Apologies for my late reaction... but yes, this is sad news indeed.
I learned to love the art of the Lieder through him, together with the recordings of Fischer-Dieskau, Prey and Wunderlich.

I also liked his approach of the Evangelist parts in the passions of Bach, his Tamino in Mozart's Zauberflöte and, despite the 'heavyness' from time to time, his recordings of Bach's large choral works, especially the Hohe Messe BWV 232.

May he rest in peace.

Cato

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on December 26, 2019, 09:29:08 AM
https://www.mdr.de/sachsen/dresden/dresden-radebeul/saenger-peter-schreier-gestorben-dresden100.html

Wonderful voice, and among my favorite vocalists for Lieder, too. RIP...

8)

A partial translation of the obituary for those who do not read German:

Quote



"Mir würde etwas fehlen, wenn ich nicht in Dresden leben könnte. Einfach weil ich meine Heimat brauche, mein Umfeld, meine Freunde, wo ich die schöne sächsische Sprache habe.  - Peter Schreier "

Nach vielen Jahrzehnten voller Stress und Terminen nahm er Abschied von den Opern- und Konzertbühnen. Danach war Peter Schreier noch als Dirigent und Lehrer in Meisterkursen tätig, bis ihm auch das zu beschwerlich wurde. Schreier plagten Rückenprobleme, zudem lebte der Diabetiker mit mehreren Bypässen. Der Dresdner wohnte im Stadtteil Loschwitz, hielt sich mit Gartenarbeit, lesen und kochen fit.


"Something would be missing for me, if I could not live in Dresden.  Simply because I need my hometown (homeland), my surroundings, my friends, where I have the beautiful Saxon language.  - Peter Schreier"

"After many decades full of stress of and appointments (duties), he said farewell to the opera and concert stages.  After that Peter Schreier was busy as conductor and teacher of master classes, until even those things became too burdensome.  Back problems plagued Schreier, and he was also a diabetic who had several heart by-pass operations.  He lived in the Loschwitz section of Dresden, and stayed active with garden work, reading, and cooking."


The last part details his deterioration with more health problems in his last 6 years.  A final quote from him:

Quote

"Ich lebe von der Erinnerung, aber nicht mit Wehmut, eher vielleicht mit etwas Stolz."


"I live from from my memory, but without melancholy, rather perhaps with some pride."

"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Tsaraslondon

Quote from: André on December 26, 2019, 11:24:36 AM
He was a musician's musician, but not a singer's singer IMO, except in his early years when there was some suppleness to his tenor voice.

One of my favourite Schubert lieder discs is his Schöne Müllerin accompanied on the guitar by Konrad Ragossnig. I've treasured it since about 40 years ago, first as a cassette, then on cd. Still as wonderful today as it was then.

I agree with you, André. The voice had a tendency to sound dry, but the artistry was considerable. Certainly a musician first and foremost.

\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

ritter

Indeed. Peter Schreier was probably more a great musician than a great singer, although he did leave us some very compelling recordings. Unfortunately, his Germanic pronunciation of Italian texts was atrocious, and this usually turned him into the weak link of Karl Böhm's late DG recordings of the Mozart operas. Still, a name that accompanied the early years of my appreciation of classical music, and of whom I retain fond memories.

R.I.P.

Mandryka

#9
I think one thing I appreciate most is the way he used vocal effects tastefully, in a restrained way. I never saw him sing unfortunately, at least not as far as I remember. Or maybe I did, I have a vague vague memory of some Wolff or Schubert in Edinburgh Festival somewhere in the 1990s or earlier. I think I took a prospective life partner there (it didn't work out) who said after the concert  "it's just a lot of really short songs."

But my reason for posting is this. When I saw the thread I typed Schreier into my media server and look what turned up - I haven't heard this baby for about 30 years!



The big achievement in lieder, I'd say, is the Winterreise with Richter. I mean whatever reservations people who are sensitive to the art of singing may have about the quality of his voice, it remains a bold and original interpretation, one which to me seems to do justice to the work, and with a striking synergy between piano player and singer - both singing from the same hymn sheet, inspiring each other to greater heights. It is, in some sense, a "landmark", an "icon"

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen