Robert Schumann(1810-1856)
   Davidsbundlertanze, Opus 6

Robert Schumann's Davidsbundlertanze was composed in 1837 and conceived
on a number of levels.  The work is a representation of the Davidsbund,
Schumann's imaginary and spritual brotherhood of artists who combat the
shallow nature of the contemporary culture.  The eighteen pieces are also
dances and outpourings of Schumann's strong love for Clara.  As he confided
to her, "The story is an entire Polterabend"; this translates ito a
wedding-eve party where old crockery is broken to signify good luck in the
future.

Lastly, the work is a self-portrait provided by Schumann of his "varied
states of mind" highlighted by the contrasts represented by Florestan and
Eusebius.  Initially, Schumann had indicated the pieces which corresponded
to each author, but he later excised these references.  Movements 3, 4, 6,
10, and 12 are the Florestan pieces, while the Eusebius pieces are
movements 2, 5, 7, 11, and 14.  In comparison, the Florestan pieces are
faster and more animated; the Eusebius pieces are softer, more cantabile
in style, and more expressive.

So, the composer gives us music for dancing, artistic elevation, romantic
love and longing, and exploring the recesses and contradictions of one's
mind.  Davidsbundlertanze offers a wealth of themes which cross among one
another as well as some of Schumann's most gorgeous and inspirational music
for the piano. Schumann was a master of injecting varied themes into very
short musical pieces; just one note would carry contrasting information.
Let's get into this wonderfully rich composition and enjoy its many
attractions.

Part 1 covers the following six recordings:

Vladimir Ashkenazy - London 425109(1988)
Walter Gieseking   - Classica D'Oro 3022(1942)
Stephen Hough      - Virgin Classics 90770(1988)
Wilhelm Kempff     - Deutsche Grammophon 435045(1967)
Maurizio Pollini   - Deutsche Grammophon 471369(2000)
Charles Rosen      - Sony 68345(1963)

1st Movement - This piece gives us a preview of both Florestan and
Eusebius with passages dedicated to each and other passages incorporating
both spirits.  A great performance can make a full meal of the myriad of
contrasts, and that's what Charles Rosen accomplishes.  His range of
emotional themes and his crisp and exacting presentation of fine detail are
at the highest levels.  Rosen's reading is a vivid discovery not equaled by
the other versions; I especially love how he highlights the coy/shy motifs.

Excellent performances are offered by Ashkenazy, Hough, Pollini,
and Kempff.  Each is well varied and alive with Schumann's messages.
Gieseking's a little lower on the scale with a rough and ready
interpretation which perhaps places too little emphasis on Eusebius.

2nd Movement - A subtle urgency with gorgeous motifs makes for one of
Schumann's most poignant, uplifting, and lovely piano pieces he ever wrote.
Pollini, Kempff, Ashkenazy, Hough, and Rosen are at a very high level as
they put some real feeling and projection into the music.  I just wish
Pollini had slowed down a little; at his quick pace, it's difficult to
fully capture the music's poignancy.  However, what a stunning soundstage
Pollini is given: clear as a bell with the capacity to highlight all
Pollini's inflections perfectly.

My nod for the 2nd Movement goes to Walter Gieseking.  He's very slow but
always well animated and projected.  As for urgency and depth of feeling,
he can't be beat.  Gieseking's inflections are so incisive that I feel I
have a life-line into Schumann's psyche.

3rd & 4th Movements - I've combined these for comment since each is
primarily a Florestan piece.  The 3rd Movement is exuberant and imbued
with confidence, while the 4th Movement expresses urgency as Florestan
attempts to rally his forces to take sacred ground.  If you don't care for
that scenario, we can go with Schumann trying to get out of the emotional
hole he digs for himself whenever events real or imagined take a negative
turn; these events usually revolve around Clara Wieck.

As always with this work, there are dance elements to contend with, and
both the 3rd and 4th Movements should carry a vivid and energized dance
portrait.  Further, Eusebius has various times when he is part of the
picture.

Stephen Hough falls a little in these two pieces.  Although his 3rd
Movement is certainly exuberant and vivacious, there's some dainty playing
going on; Florestan definitely frowns on being depicted as dainty.  In
the 4th Movement, Hough is very fast and doesn't take the time to allow
Eusebius sufficient poetry.

The short-changing of Eusebius is a trait also conveyed by Pollini, but he
offsets it by delivering a performance of the highest urgency and force.
Pollini's 3rd Variation is even better with exuberance and energy to kill
for; it's also impressive how he turns into Eusebius so naturally at the
conclusion.

Charles Rosen isn't in Pollini's league concerning the 3rd Variation, but
his 4th is just as tense and much more nuanced in a delectable confection;
Rosen really give Eusebius his due.  Although Gieseking and Ashkenazy are
also excellent, Kempff surpasses all with an outstanding 3rd Variation.
The other five pianists, at best, offer exceptional performances of limited
landscapes.  Kempff presents a panorama of scenes all tied together by the
interchanges between Florestan and Eusebius; that he does this in a 1 1/2
minute piece of music amazes me.

5th Movement - We meet another piece from Eusebius who keeps asking
questions about life without answering any of them.  The questioning nature
of the movement is a must for the performer to get across, and each of our
ten pianists well covers that aspect.

Another important aspect of the movement is that it's music to savor, and
that takes a little time which Rosen and Pollini don't provide.  Phrases to
ponder just go by too quickly with these two pianists, although they do fine
with the Eusebius questions.  My preferred versions come from Gieseking,
Kempff, Hough, and Ashkenazy.  Their questioning mode is excellent through
their inflections, and they make the time to offer us thought-provoking
interpretations.  Ashkenazy is delicate and dreamy, Kempff's projection and
clarity are perfect, and Gieseking asks the most serious questions of the
group.

6th Movement - Florestan is galloping off into battle with a vengence and
soon engages in one of his most gruesome conflicts.  Gieseking is the
fastest and most wild of the group, but his extreme speed actually reduces
tension.  Rosen could have more animated, and Pollini indulges in some
contrived key-banging.  With Kempff, Hough, and Ashkenazy, the tension is
razor-sharp and leads to monumental upheaveal.  Concerning Kempff, I am
increasingly enamored by the level of detail he offers; it creates great
voice interplay and also provides a wonderful look at Schumann's
architecture.

Update: Each of these six versions of Davidsbundlertanze is turning out to
represent a very rewarding listening experience.  Some slowing down by
Gieseking in the Florestan pieces and a more comprehensive slowing down by
Pollini would be advantageous, but I find little in any of the versions to
carp about.  Kempff has been my favorite up to this point.  His tempos are
exceptionally chosen, and he's particularly effective when slower than the
norm; Kempff insures strong articulation, enhanced poignancy, and meaningful
intervals.  His excellence has also been more consistent than from the other
pianists.  I'd say that the only style he is exhibiting is the one which
gets him into Schumann's head each and every time.

7th Movement - We switch to a Eusebius posture with yearnings in the
'reaching out' category.  I favor Gieseking's slow reading which is
luxuriating while at the same time possessing the most pointed articulation
of the six versions.  Least appealing is Ashkenazy's performance which has
some very weak articulation resulting in a very relaxed performance of
limited dimensions and tension.

8th & 9th Movements - Each of short duration, the 8th Movement is a
motorized and perpetual journey of power and energy, while the 9th presents
a more discreet but thoroughly tension-laden theme.

I fine two versions fully satisfying: Kempff and Pollini.  Kempff can't be
beat for an exciting 8th Movement and an urgent 9th.  Pollini is very fast
in both pieces but holds it together perfectly; his detail with quick tempos
is very impressive, and he offers us a high degree of excitement and
tension.

Problems arise with the remaining issues.  Ashkenazy is too soft in the 8th
Movement, reserving a very hard quality for the 9th; I would have preferred
a reverse effect.  Hough gives a quick and 'glossed-over' reading of the 9th
Movement, Rosen is too tame in the 8th Movement, and the quick speeds which
work so well for Pollini damage the Gieseking performances; detail is
blurred with much of the responsibility coming from the age of the
recording.

10th Movement - Florestan returns quite angry, dramatic, and loaded with
drive.  All six versions excellently capture the moods.  Any significant
differences take place in the relatively tender interludes where Eusebius
competes for our attention.  Gieseking and Kempff offer tense and urgent
interludes where the interplay between Florestan and Eusebius is stunning.
The remaining four versions tend to give Eusebius top billing; they are
lovely played interludes that lack some emotional diversity and weight when
compared to Gieseking and Kempff.

11th & 12th Movements - The 11th Movement is a poignant Eusebius piece but
not one of Schumann's more inspired works.  However, Gieseking lifts the
music as much as possible through his inflections and cascading descending
lines.  Kempff is disappointing in this movement and also in the humorous
12th Movement.  In the 11th, Kempff is somewhat stiff and ordinary;
emotional depth is lacking.  The 12th Movement finds Kempff more austere
than humorous.  The other versions do well with the 12th's humor and the
11th's poignancy.

13th Movement - A powerful and driving force contrasts with tender and
gorgeous interludes, creating a very diverse movement.  Kempff certainly
provides the power, but it's his slow poignancy in the interludes which wins
my heart.  Gieseking delivers the total package; he's a wild man one minute
and a role-model of gentleness the next.  Another great version comes from
Hough whose determination/drive is the best among the six versions.
Pollini, Rosen, and Ashkenazy perform admirably, although Rosen could have
injected much more drive into his reading.

14th Movement - Comforting Eusebius music tinged with some regret and
tension.  Blending the comfort and tension constitutes the key to a great
performance, and Rosen's the one who does it beautifully.  You won't find a
more comforting rendition, yet the tension is always lurking in the
background.  Least appealing and quite surprising is the performance from
Kempff which is so slow that the musicial flow keeps getting untracked.

15th Movement - This piece begins and ends with exuberance, good cheer,
and abundant power.  What's in-between is a blend of swirling dreaminess
and strong urges.  Except for Hough, each artist is excellent in conveying
the above themes in a similar manner.  Hough isn't particularly dreamy or
urgent, because he distances himself from the music.  Hough plays the piece
rather than experience it.

16th Movement - I love this music in a power-house performance with great
drive, and that's exactly what I get from Ashkenazy and Pollini; each is on
a mission with total focus.  Frankly, I find the remaining versions rather
dull and reticent.

17th Movement - The most attractive element of this lovely piece is the
serenity it offers, and Ashkenazy is the epitome of serenity with a slow
and luxurious reading.  Also exceptional is the Rosen performance with its
perfect blend of serenity and tension.  Each of the other versions is very
rewarding.

18th Movement - The last movement is an elegant waltz played beautifully by
all except for Ashkenazy and Pollini.  Ashkenazy captures little of the
music's poignancy nor does he inject much vitality.  Pollini shortens note
values; that's a dangerous thing to do with elegant music, and Pollini
doesn't pull it off.

Don's Conclusions:

Although each of the six recordings is easy to recommend, I feel that the
Gieseking and Kempff stand out from the crowd.  Kempff's Kinderszenen for
Deutsche Grammophon lacked some animation, but he's abundantly equipped
with it for Davidsbundlertanze.  His performances are usually crisp and
vital with fine strength when called for and excellent emotional depth and
poignancy in the Eusebius music.  Perhaps Kempff's best moments are when he
conveys the interaction between Florestan and Eusebius.

Walter Gieseking can certainly be a wild man in some of the Florestan
pieces, but I am most impressed with the exceptional articulation and
spacing he employs for Eusebius.  Sound quality can be an issue,
particularly with the piano tone; however, Gieseking's commanding
performances overcome the problem.

It's hard to find fault with Charles Rosen.  His voice interplay is superb,
and his performances are clean and precise.  I would have liked greater
exuberance and drive from him in the Florestan pieces, but Rosen is a fine
choice by any reasonable standard.  The sound is on the clinical side, but
so is Rosen.

Maurizio Pollini is given a fantastic soundstage to work with, and he often
is iluminating.  However, he tends toward quick tempos for Eusebius, and
the resulting degree of emotional depth can be rather low.  But with many
excellent movements and exceptional sound, Pollini's recording is heartily
recommended.

The basic complaint I have concerning Ashkenazy's version is the usual one;
Decca's sound is a far cry from displaying much clarity and crispness.  The
tubby soundstage is not conducive for revealing detail or voice interplay.
Even so, there is much to enjoy in Ashkenazy's performances which generally
are spot-on concerning the representations of Florestan and Eusebius.

Stephen Hough likes quick tempos.  As would be expected, he has no problems
with providing exuberant and driving music-making.  However, he often
glosses over the poignancy of the Eusebius pieces in comparision to the
best alternatives.

Summing up, you can't go wrong with any of the six reviewed recordings.
My strongest recommendations go out to Kempff and Gieseking, but the others
are also insightful and stimulating.  I'll be back with additional versions
in Part II, and we'll see if any of them can equal the quality of Kempff or
Gieseking.

Don Satz