Sings Archive

SCHUBERT: Hermann Prey sings The Song Cycles, Blu-ray (2016)

by Audiophile Audition | Feb 3, 2017 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

SCHUBERT: Hermann Prey – The Schubert Song Cycles, Blu-ray (2016)  Don’t pass this one up. Performers: Hermann Prey, (baritone), Leonard Hokanson (p.), Helmut Deutsch (p.) Studio: Naxos [11/18/16] Video: 1.33:1  Color Audio: DTS-HD 5.1, PCM Stereo Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish Extras: Introductions by Hermann Prey Length: 252 minutes Ratings: Audio ****¾ Once in a great while you’ll encounter a video disc whose confluence of composer, performers, and production values is not only satisfying but one you positively must own. Michio Uchida’s Mozart: Great Piano Concertos is one such set. And so is Hermann Prey’s 1983 rendition of all three of Franz Schubert’s song cycles: Die schöne Müllerin (1823), Winterreise (1828), and Schwanengesang (1828). These are considered the best Liederzyklus (song cycles) ever written. And this is the best version I’ve ever seen. The cycles were released individually in the mid-eighties on LaserDiscs. (Remember those? State of the art at the time, they were also fragile, expensive, and had only one hour per side. I held out for DVDs.) Now the cycles are back, snugly tucked into one Blu-ray disc; and the transfer is perfect. At 54, Prey was at his peak and sings with artful tenderness, drama, and subtlety. […]