| I recently bought Yuri Honing and Nora Mulder's | | | | Leiermann, which is the third track and is listed only as |
| Winterreise CD from Amazon. Winterreise recorded | | | | "No. 24". Here some rhythmic freedom is allowed - at |
| on saxophone? How interesting! Unfortunately the let | | | | the expense of the piano. Yes, that's right the piano |
| downs began as soon as I flipped the (cardboard) | | | | part has been replaced by rests. Except for about |
| case over. Contrary to what the cover implies the disc | | | | two measures in the very middle where it mysteriously |
| does not contain the entire Winterreise cycle | | | | returns for a surprise visit only to leave again just as |
| performed on Saxophone. The thirteen track disc | | | | mysteriously. This same "drop the piano part expect |
| contains twelve songs for Winterreise, in a seemingly | | | | for a random interjection in the middle" arrangement is |
| random order, and then ends with Schubert's Der Tod | | | | applied to Das Wirtshaus, or as they call it: "No. 21." |
| und das Mädchen. | | | | The disregard for the poetic content of the cycle |
| Yuri Honing Winterreise Saxophone | | | | permeates the production: the songs are taken out of |
| While I bought the album for it's novelty appeal, I must | | | | order, rendering the plot movement null and void and |
| admit that I held some hope that the saxophone would | | | | the songs that made it onto the disc are listed by |
| somehow transcend language and cut directly to the | | | | number rather than by their title. The lack of words, |
| heart of the dense music; expressing the lonesome | | | | however, becomes especially noticeable when Honing |
| yearning and tender heartbreak. How wrong I was. | | | | repeats notes. For a singer, repeated notes generally |
| While I still maintain that such a recording could be | | | | carry new syllable and therefore have an inherent |
| made, this album is not it. | | | | lyricism. Unfortunately that is lost on Honing who |
| Moulder's piano playing is clearly capable and she | | | | seems to see only a line of little black dots, and plays |
| manages to capture all the notes and the correct | | | | them as such. |
| dynamics, but it still sounds more like able button | | | | It's a real shame, and a black eye to instrumentalists |
| pushing than expressive music. | | | | everywhere, that this recording was such a flop. |
| The most bizarre thing about this recording is the | | | | Instrumental music has the ability to soar beyond the |
| metronomic rhythmic accuracy with which it is | | | | emotional confines of language, but by performing |
| performed. For a jazz musician, playing on a jazz | | | | music which is based in poetry, and failing to |
| instrument in a style that is known for it's rhythmic give | | | | acknowledge it, they ended up with the worst of both |
| and take, one might expect that Honing and Mulder | | | | worlds. |
| would allow the emotional lyrical line to sway, | | | | As artistically barren as this recording may be though, |
| somewhat, the rigidness of the written rhythm. | | | | the novelty music lover in me is still really glad I own it. I |
| Unfortunately, they do nothing of the kind. | | | | mean, it's Winterreise on the freakin' saxophone! |
| One exception to this unfortunate rule is Der | | | | |