A Blog

Schubert's Schwanengesang 'Standchen' - Volker 1928, Hotter 1954

Together with a large number of other people I find Schubert's Standchen, from Schwanengesang, absolutely hypnotic - justifiably described as probably the most famous serenade ever written. After reviewing the various recordings of Volker singing Lohengrin it was therefore inevitable his recording of Standchen should be put on. It happens to be my all time favourite recording of the piece. The purity of Volker's voice production captures something of the character of an adolescent boy almost breathless with excitement and anticipation as he waits for one of his first ever girlfriends. That 'purity' of Volker's voice, the same that fits so well the God annointed character of Lohengrin, gives a 'pre-sexual experience' feel of the adolescent to the music.
But Standchen also has its darker side - this undercurrent helping create the profundity of the piece.
'Well they know the heart's desire,
Well know lovers pains'
Another recording I greatly admire greatly of the piece is therefore Hotter's 1954 recording as part of his complete Schwanengesang - the interpretation of almost every song being of superb quality. Hotter's bass-baritone imparts to Standchen a much darker character than Volker's silvery even tenor. With Volker the emphasis is on the power of sexual love itself, its possibilities, and the relationship that follows from the meeting may well end happily. With Hotter the outcome may end sadly.
Examples of totally different valid interpretations, both at the highest level, of the same piece.

Wagner, Lohengrin 'In fernem Land' - Volker 1936 & 1942

There has been widespread discussion of why the standard of singing of Wagner and Verdi has declined so much compared to a peak that certainly lasted until the 1930s and 1940s - and in some cases continued into the 1950s. This blog certainly does not adopt the 'older is always better' approach - the crackle of a 78 does not necessarily equal greater music making. The standard of performance in many areas of classical music has been maintained or even improved - for example, to take those still alive or who died only very recently, there are a wealth of pianists of the first rank (Richter, Michelangeli, Argerich, Pollini to name only some).
The standard of production of Wagner operas has imeasurably improved. But the general consensus that there are no Wagner tenors of the recent period to match Melchior or Lorenz, for example, is true and the characteristics accounting for this are clearly explicable. The weight of voice and superb diction of Melchior or Lorenz does convey a 'heroic' feel no contemporary tenor matches. As both Siegfried and Tristan, to take the obvious examples, are indeed projected as 'heroic' characters, in a moral even more than a physical, sense the ability, or otherwise, to project this alters the perspective conveyed by the Wagner operas themselves. (Placido Domingo has the character of voice, and it is superb to hear him singing Wagner but, as is widely remarked, his inauthentic German pronouciation him prevent him reaching the absolute peak - a Tristan in utmost delerium, expressing his deepest thoughts, would not choose to sing in what is audibly a foreign language. In Verdi, of course, Domingo does scale the peaks and shows there is not a complete abscence of Verdi singing at the very highest level that exists among Wagner tenors).
Finding the greatest recordings of Wagner singing therefore is an area where some research has to be done. In aiding that, and because he does not receive the same degree of general recognition as Melcihior for example, an absolute must is Franz Volker singing Lohengrin.
Volker performs Lohengrin superlatively, given his very different character of voice to Lorenz or Melchior, because the character himself is very different to Tristan or Siegfried. The latter are heroes because they struggle against, and overcome, great moral and physical challenges. Lohengrin does not have that character. As a knight ordained by God to be victorious he faces no such struggle and the role requires no such heroic voice. Lohengrin is God protected perfection and Volker's extraordinary evennness of voice production, and again his superb diction, render this character with huge effect.
Volker's complete 1942 recording of Lohengrin in Berlin, conducted by Heger, is superb and because it gives the opera in its entirety not to be missed.
To my mind an even greater examples of Wagner singing, however, comes in the 1936 studio recordings of excerpts from Lohengin conducted by Tietjen. This recording of 'In fernem Land' has the added advntage, for a recording rather than a dramatic performance, of including the second half of the aria - the cut was, of course, decided by Wagner himself and works to heighten the drama in opera performance, but the extra music in a recording is a bonus with Volker's superb singing.
The absolute peak, however, is the 1936 performance at Bayreuth conducted by Furtwangler. Not only, as would be expected, is the orchestral interpretation at an extraordinary level but the greatness of the conducting brings from Volker an even greater performance. As the excerpt is from the opera production it does not have the second half of 'In fernem Land' but it is a peak of Wagner interpretation.
The fact of who was the principal guest at the 1936 Bayreuth festival, and who was in power in Berlin in 1942, again confirms that there is no short term justice in the world and, regretably, no one to one relation between music and politics. But the fit of the singer and the role is extraordinary - entirely worthy of its extremely high reputation.