Robert Schumann(1810-1856)
    Davidsbundlertanze, Op.6

Jerome Rose
Monarch Classics 2006
Program:
Davidsbundlertanze, Op.6(remastered)
Kreisleriana, Op.16(2001)
TT 70:48

Jerome Rose has had an illustrious performing career and recently became
President of the newly formed Monarch Classics.  In the first batch of
recordings, remastered performances as well as new recordings from Rose
have been released.  This Schumann disc gives us one performance from
each category.

It's been at least a couple of months since I listened to the
Davidsbundlertanze, and an excellent version from Rose certainly renews
my feeling that this work is the most rewarding of all Schumann's piano
compositions.  I love its extreme displays and volatile mood swings;
that it also gives us Schumann's most gorgeous music doesn't hurt either.
However, what really puts the Davidsbundlertanze at the pinnacle is its
reflection of the inner world of Schumann where he exposes himself as
an intensely disturbed and obsessed individual with a slim grasp on
reality who keeps slipping into unbalanced fantasies.

Before offering my views on the Rose performance, I have to say that
it's been a few years since I've encountered such thin and dry sound.
Fortunately, an appreciable hike of the bass controls gives the soundstage
a fairly good depth and resonance.  What remains problematic is that the
sound has a closed-in quality which won't allow the music to soar; that's
not good for a work such as the Davidsbundlertanze.  By contrast, Rose's
Kreisleriana recorded in 2001 has excellent sound with the soaring quality
well on display.

Concerning Rose's performance, he certainly has the Schumann temperament
fully covered.  Wherever Schumann's mind travels, Rose is right there
with him.  His performances of the more poignant and Eusebius-based
movements such as the 17th and 18th are particularly stunning with just
one exception to follow.

What troubles me some about Rose is his tendency to be heavily insistent
in the Florestan music, more concentrated and emphatic than wild.  Take
a listen to the Backhaus recording; he is a wild man, while Rose seems
stern and dictatorial.

There is one slow movement, the 7th, where Rose is much too stern and
neglects the fragile nature of the music.  Adding it up, my admiration
for the Rose version is greater than my affection.

Don's Conclusions: In drab and close sound, Rose gives a very good reading
of the Davidsbudlertanze which would be among the best on record except
for a very stern quality he imparts to the Florestan music with some
unattractive bass-banging for a bonus.  My recommendation is to stick
with the versions I praised earlier in the review project such as Backhaus
and Schein.

Don Satz
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