Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
     Kinderszenen, Opus 15

Gerhard Oppitz
RCA 60856
Recorded 1990
Couplings:
Fantasy in C, Op.17
Papillons, Op.2
TT 65:48

I did a few searches of Gerhard Oppitz's discography and was surprised
at how many recordings he has made and the number of labels he has
recorded for.  They include RCA offerings of lieder with Waltraud Meier,
Brahms solo piano music, mutiple discs of Grieg's solo piano music, and
the Weber piano & orchestra works with Colin Davis.  Oppitz has also
recorded the Brahms cello sonatas for Philips, Brahms clarinet sonatas
for Orfeo, Brahms/Prokofiev/Faure/Schumann violin sonatas for Chandos,
Hans Pfluger works for Bayer, Schoenberg and Zemlinsky chamber works for
Tudor, Schubert piano trios for Novalis, Carlos Verhoff works for Col
Legno, and a disc for Deutsche Grammophon with Gil Shaham.  So Oppitz
has been a very busy man in the recording studio and also found time to
record this RCA disc of Schumann piano works and another disc as well
with Schumann's Carnaval.

Oppitz's interpretation of Schumann's Kinderszenen is the subject of
this review; I will be covering his readings of Papillons and the Fantasy
in C at later dates.  As an aside, I obtained this recording on the used
market, and it is available (used and new)on various websites including
Amazon/CDNOW.

I started listening to the performance in my computer room on the CD-ROM,
because the housekeeper was cleaning the other parts of the house.
Although I only got through a few scenes until the clean-up came my way,
my initial impression was most favorable.  Later, the much more extensive
listening experience on the main speakers was again very enjoyable.
Further hearings only solidified my views.

I've never heard Kinderszenen played with zero affectation, but Oppitz
achieves this goal.  He just sounds like a regular guy with a great love
for the music.  In psychological terms, Oppitz is a role-model for mental
health.  He doesn't try to make any cute moves, call attention to himself,
or over-interpret any themes or passages.  Nor does he give short measure
when the music requires great poignancy or reflection.

Every scene gets an honest reading which radiates with a deep understanding
of Schumann's overall soundworld and a particularly innate awareness of
the unique properties of Kinderszenen.  His blending of adult and child
is superb at all times.  As for the recorded sound, it couldn't be better:
rich, detailed, and crisp.

Let's take a look at the performances:

1st Scene (Foreign lands and people) - The required blending of adult
and child isn't stronger in any other scene of the work.  Many pianists
either neglect the child or the adult; Oppitz gives each the full
treatment.  Many pianists display little nuance or go overboard; Oppitz
provides just the right degree of nuance and variety.

2nd Scene (Curious story) - Exuberance, bouncing rhythms, and a thoroughly
wide-eyed curiosity permeate Opptiz's reading.

3rd Scene (Catch me) - Oppitz turns up the speed and gives a very exciting
rendition with momentum that never falters.

4th Scene (Pleading Child) - I couldn't ask for greater poignancy in
this piece about the continuous pleadings of a child.  Oppitz's pacing
is perfect with inflections to die for.

5th Scene (Happiness) - It's so important for this music to leap out the
speakers with a strongly coiled urgency.  Opptiz does just that, and I
don't believe there's a better version on record.

6th Scene (Important Event) - The ceremonial scene in the work, Oppitz
gives it the royal treatment.  My sole reservation is that he doesn't
wind-down at the conclusion in a compelling manner; this is where Wilhelm
Kempff on Deutsche Grammophon is supreme.

7th Scene (Dreaming) - A lovely performance from Oppitz.  He imbues each
note with significance, and his intervals are loaded with meaning.  Such
comfort and enchantment is not easy to find.

8th Scene (By the fireside) - Another triumph for Oppitz as he offers
both adult and child watching the flames flicker upward - great vitality
and reflective properties.

9th Scene (Knight of the hobby-horse) - Fine exhilaration from Oppitz
although his mix of strength and whimsy is tilted slightly away from
whimsical thoughts.

10th Scene (Almost too serious) - I love the tension and urgency Oppitz
conveys while maintaing the music's comforting foundation.

11th Scene (Being frightened) - A scene of sadness/weeping with three
strategically placed passages intended to frighten.  Although Oppitz is
quite frightening, I would have liked a more vivid display of sadness
and melancholy.

12th Scene (Slumbering child) - Schumann sets intense melancholy and
reflection against the peaceful and idyllic sleeping of a child.  The
contrasts are stunning, and that's the effect that Oppitz has on me.

Postlude (The poet speaks) - This is absolutely pensive and gorgeous
music where the sensitive adult ponders the meaning of life and the
connections/disconnects between youth and maturity.

Spacing is very wide in the Postlude, so pianists need to make sure that
their intervals are not empty.  Oppitz invests his intervals with great
poignancy.

Don's Final Thoughts: I hope it's clear by now that I have great
affection for Gerhard Oppitz's version of Kinderszenen.  The astounding
element of his performance is how he manages to be straight-forward and
no-nonsense without ever sounding routine or uninvolved.  In a sense,
it's a 'meat and potatoes' meal, but it tastes anything but ordinary.
With the additional attribute of exceptional sound, I strongly urge those
not familiar with the performance to start tracking it down.  My cost
was just about the price of a Naxos disc, and I'm a very happy camper.

Don Satz
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