Heidenröslein Comparison

• Vocal Concerns

In both performances, I was impressed with the intonation, diction, and vocal abilities of the singers. The piece seemed suitable for both voices, although I did prefer Barbara Bonney's delicate sound and coloring on the high G's. As far as the text delivery, both portrayed the first, light-hearted verse with daintiness, but in the final verse Peter Schreier seemed to capture more intensity and indignation, while Barbara Bonney sounded more agitated – both effective ways to portray the story of the song, but separate approaches to the piece.

• Pianistic Concerns

The first thing I noticed was how quiet the piano accompaniment in the Peter Schreier recording was. I could hardly hear it until my ears had adjusted from Barbara Bonney's vocal/accompaniment balance. (In addition to the pianist simply playing quieter or the recording not picking the piano up as well, this could also be because the lower male voice blended more with the piano than the bright-sounding soprano voice.) I felt that Geoffrey Parsons, the pianist in Barbara Bonney's recording, had more variation in his accompaniment, at least partially because there were tempo changes in her verses, which encouraged the different articulation (or perhaps the articulation in part encouraged the tempo change?). Rudolf Buchbinder, the more subdued pianist in Peter Schreier's recording, had less variation and more of a muted, under-lying quality, letting the singer dominate most of the emotional variation of the piece. However, in both recordings (though more so in Barbara Bonney's), the articulation in the piano seems to become shorter as the piece progresses.

• Acoustical Concerns

The quality of the Barbara Bonney recording was clearer and easier to focus on for me, especially because of the balance between singer/piano. However, I found it more effective to watch the recording of Peter Shreier as he performed the piece than to only be able to analyze the aural aspect of Bonney's performance. The emotion of the piece was enhanced even further in watching him sing, even though he didn't use exaggerated, theatrical facial expressions like performers often do. The ability to make a visual connection with the performer increased the power of the performance as a whole.

• Artistic/Ensemble Concerns

Both performers, while capturing the mood of the piece, have slightly different interpretations of Schubert's Heidenröslein, as discussed briefly in the Vocal Concerns. Barbara Bonney increased the tempo of the piece as the intensity of the story grew, while Peter Shreir – though still following the “nachgebend” and fermata markings (like Bonney) – kept the overall tempo of the piece much the same as the story progressed. Overall Shreir seemed to stay more faithful to the written piece, while Bonney took a few liberties in tempo and even notes, as she added ornamentation to the second high G of the second verse.

• General Concerns

Overall, while I probably prefer Bonney's version, I would not change anything about either recording (except perhaps to increase the volume of the piano in Shreier's). Each are valid and beautiful performances of the piece, executed with separate perspectives but equal artistry. While I particularly liked the piece sung in the voice of a soprano, Shreier achieved more of the quality that Schubert likely intended in creating his piece, as he seemed to follow the music more closely and accurately. However, both singers captured valid artistry and musicality in their recordings that make them enjoyable to listen to and analyze.