At Last, I Have This Posted in the Proper Place

In the fall of 2010, I enrolled in a class entitled Oral Interpretation of Literature. In it, each student performed a variety of texts throughout the semester, but on occasion a few of these performances would be based upon the same text. Whenever this phenomenon would occur, the students were able to experience firsthand the variability in performed interpretations. Likewise, with this listening assignment, we the students are intended to notice the variance in interpretations of Schubert’s Heidenröslein. Barbara Bonney’s performance of the piece is light hearted aesthetically, an ironic approach to Goethe’s original poem (on which Heidenröslein is based) that many interpret to be about rape. Despite the talent Bonney displays by singing in an upper register, the performance fails to capture the power of Goethe’s original and, because of the cadence provided by the piano, seems to represent a lighthearted moment about a boy picking a rose rather than a metaphor for a boy stealing a girl’s virginity. If Bonney intended irony to reinforce the darkness of the lyrics or to represent a society who plays little attention to women’s rights, then these elements do not transfer over as well to an audience who does not speak German. Schreier’s performance, while it does contain the occasional high note, consists primarily on a lower octave and, in certain instances, is recitativelike, which is much more appropriate for piece, but unless an individual has a translation in front of himself or herself, the severity of the actions that occur in the poem are not fully recognized. While this is certainly not like Bonney’s Sound of Music styled narration, it is still somewhat impartial, which is perfect for a German audience but not for an international demographic. Both performances are enjoyable, but material such as Heidenröslein should not leave the audience feeling joyous without capturing the darker aspects of any interpretation of the piece.