The Naxos label's new Schubert song series, based on a new edition of the songs, is organized as Schubert himself envisioned and partially carried out the publication of his works: by text author. The recordings of the top-notch songs have been mostly competent rather than top-notch, but this method often conveys loads of information about the creative environment in which Schubert worked. Nowhere has this been more true than with the subgroup of recordings entitled Schubert's Friends, of which this was the third. Here you ...
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The Naxos label's new Schubert song series, based on a new edition of the songs, is organized as Schubert himself envisioned and partially carried out the publication of his works: by text author. The recordings of the top-notch songs have been mostly competent rather than top-notch, but this method often conveys loads of information about the creative environment in which Schubert worked. Nowhere has this been more true than with the subgroup of recordings entitled Schubert's Friends, of which this was the third. Here you can really imagine Schubert and his circle standing around a piano, listening to his latest creations. The most interesting group of songs may be the miscellany at the end, with a group of minor text authors who had some kind of special signifcance for the composer. Check out the hilarious Herrn Josef Spaun, Assessor in Linz, D. 749 (To Herr Josef Spaun, Linz Assessor, track 10), which is essentially an extended "why haven't you written?" rant. There's also a simple and effective...
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