ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856): Der Königssohn, Op. 116, FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847): Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Op. 60, JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897): Nänie, Op. 82.

Description: The only currently available recording of Schumann's 1853 choral ballad setting an Uhland poem of medieval knights mixed with miraculous mythological derring-do with love triumphant at the end. Oddly, the threatening and gloomy parts get the best music and the transcendent finale is less impressive than you might want but, let's face it, Schumann's mental state was very parlous at this time and there's plenty of characteristic Schumannian music to go around in its 26 minutes. The very resonant live recording in St. Michael's Jesuit Church in Munich cloaks all three works in a misty grandeur although the soloists are miked closely enough to make them ultra clear. German texts. Simone Schröder (alto), Burkhard Fritz (tenor), Detlef Roth (baritone), Franz-Josef Selig (bass), Audi Jugendchorakademie, Bavarian State Orchestra;  Kent Nagano.