Robert Schumann(1810-1856)
   Davidsbundlertanze, Opus 6

Alfred Cortot
Music & Arts 858(2 discs)
Recorded 1937

Andras Schiff
Teldec 99176
Recorded 1995

Alfred Cortot's Davidsbundlertanze is one of the works on a 2-cd set from
Music & Arts devoted to Robert Schumann; the other works are Kinderszenen,
Papillons, Kreisleriana, Carnaval, Symphonic Etudes, Des Abends from the
Opus 12 Fantasiestucke, and Vogel Als Prophet from Waldszenen.  That's
quite a line-up of music offering over 130 minutes of music.

One negative is that each work has only one band; an offsetting aspect is
that the location and exact date of each performance is clearly spelled out
on the CD's back cover.  Each of these performances is available from other
record companies, as duplication is a very popular trend in the record
business.  This 1937 Cortot reading of the Davidsbundlertanze can also be
had from the Piano Library/Enterprise and Dante labels.

I shouldn't leave Andras Schiff out of the picture.  His all-Schumann disc
includes the Arabeske, Blumenstuck, and Symphonic Etudes in a well filled
program over seventy-five minutes.  In recent years, I've been searching
for Schiff's proverbial 'transcendent recording'; so far, the closest I've
come is his excellent readings of Bach's Well Tempered Clavier.

Schiff's version of the Davidsbundlertanze is *almost* one of the best
on the market.  His poetry is exceptional, strength and determination are
excellent, and his transmittal of Florestan and Eusebius is admirable.
Pick any movement, and you're sure to enjoy his performance.

However, there are a few blemishes.  Schiff's speeds can be much faster
than the norm, and this tends to dampen the emotional content; a good
example is his 10th Movement where the last ounce of desperation is
missing.  Also, I never get the sense that Schiff is totally immersed in
Schumann's psychology; he seems to hold back from the 'extremes' just
enough to cause some skepticism.

I often think that Schiff is very good at finding a way to put a blot on
an otherwise wonderful interpretation.  He does this in the 17th Movement
at the transition from the first section to the repeated primary theme
from the 2nd Movement.  To put it mildly, Schiff creates wide intervals and
never fills them in; that spells empty space.  Also, Schiff is sometimes
flabby with his articulation.

I could go on with my carping, but little errors can easily be excused
when the artist and composer are as one.  In this performance, I don't feel
that's the situation.  Schiff isn't far from the zenith but has to take
second prize.  His recorded sound is excellent, although I would have like
it a little more crispness for enhanced detail.

Leaving Schiff and moving on to Cortot is like leaving earth to travel
through the heavens.  With Cortot, there is no flabbiness, empty space, or
ill-considered tempos.  Much more important, Cortot finds the essence of
Schumann and keeps it coming at us throughout his incisive performance.
Perhaps the feature I love best about Cortot's Davidsbundlertanze is his
light and tender touch in the slower movements; it's like being immersed in
silk.

By any reasonable standards, Cortot's interpretation is among the best
on record.  Any '1937' sound problems? Not really.  Interference is not
strong with crackling of minimal proportion.  Although you need to boost
the volume considerably to obtain the best of Cortot, I am surprised at
how well the soundstage handles it.  So, please put away any sound quality
concerns and enjoy the performance.

Don's Conclusions: Cortot is essential listening - Schiff is not.  Play
them one after the other, and the difference between good and superb is
clearly understood.

Still to come are about four more recordings of Davidsbundlertanze.  None
of the remaining artists is of great reputation, but there's often gold
where one least expects it.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]