Favourite Pierrot Lunaire.

[Mandryka]

There are quite a few records of this, and I'd like to hear the most interesting ones.

[Todd]

For Schäfer.  I've heard maybe five or six others, so not many, but if I want to just enjoy the piece, it's this recording.

[Mirror Image]

This one:



But there are several others that I love, too.

[staxomega]

This is one of my favorite 20c works. I wouldn't come at it as my personal favorites, more important to me is what unique insights does a particular performance have. These are Jan DeGaetani/Contemporary Chamber Ensemble/Arthur Weisberg, Erika Sziklay/Budapest Chamber Orchestra/András Mihály, Christine Schäfer/Ensemble intercontemporain/Boulez, Alda Caiello/Prazak Qt, etc/Johannes Meissl, and possibly the most controversial but has to be heard Patricia Kopatchinskaja/etc.

[TheGSMoeller]

The Schäfer/Boulez on DG might be the best sounding Pierrot, it is great. The two I go for most often are below, the sprechstimme on these are beautifully expressive, but with Manning having the slight edge here as she conveys this technique with a natural ability.

I found a used copy of Pierrot score years ago, it's a fun one to follow along with.

[Olias]

For Schäfer.  I've heard maybe five or six others, so not many, but if I want to just enjoy the piece, it's this recording.

I second that suggestion.

[staxomega]

The Schäfer/Boulez on DG might be the best sounding Pierrot, it is great. The two I go for most often are below, the sprechstimme on these are beautifully expressive, but with Manning having the slight edge here as she conveys this technique with a natural ability.

I found a used copy of Pierrot score years ago, it's a fun one to follow along with.

Here is the art from my earlier CD, a candidate for the best looking art thread? 

[(poco) Sforzando]

I have never heard a better performance than this one from 1963 conducted by Robert Craft, with Bethany Beardslee. Never commercially transferred to CD, but trust me on this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGq-WOCGKsw&t=3s

[steve ridgway]

I've only heard this one so far, with Marie Therèse Escribano, but liked it. Found it on archive.org.

[Mandryka]

I listened to Herreweghe last night.

I have a bit of a prejudice against Herreweghe, who I tend to think of as a someone who uses big choirs to produce a plush consonant polished sound - which is not me at all. So I approached this recording with trepidation.

However the good news is that I am totally seduced, disarmed, by Marianne Pousseur!

[Mandryka]

The Schäfer/Boulez on DG might be the best sounding Pierrot, it is great. The two I go for most often are below, the sprechstimme on these are beautifully expressive, but with Manning having the slight edge here as she conveys this technique with a natural ability.

I found a used copy of Pierrot score years ago, it's a fun one to follow along with.

Ah, the Rattle/Manning is amazing, thank you for posting.

[steve ridgway]

None of the above are freely available on archive.org but after a quick scan of those that are I wouldn't mind giving this one with Mary Thomas a proper listen.

[Mandryka]

By the way, you all know there's a recording of it with the composer conducting, I have it on a CD paired with the Juilliard playing the string trio. The sound is everything you would expect, but listenable.

[Mandryka]

I have never heard a better performance than this one from 1963 conducted by Robert Craft, with Bethany Beardslee. Never commercially transferred to CD, but trust me on this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGq-WOCGKsw&t=3s

I think that you're probably right, I mean Beardslee was made for this sort of stuff and Craft's recordings from the period are special.

[TheGSMoeller]

Here is the art from my earlier CD, a candidate for the best looking art thread? 

I'm willing to buy a second copy of this performance just for this cover!

[staxomega]

I revisited this one that I mentioned in my first post. Not as out there as the one with Kopatchinskaja, but still a very unique take with Alda Caiello's delivery.