Manfred

Composed in 1848 and rarely performed today, Robert Schumann's massive tribute to the Romantic spirit is based on a verse-drama by Lord Byron (which also inspired a symphony by Tchaikovsky) and consists of long recitations by an actor playing a Faust-like nobleman, racked with guilt over some unnamed offense, who prefers to end his torment by dying rather than submitting to the spirits who represent a higher authority. Manfred's harangues are periodically interrupted by 16 pieces of incidental music—an overture and 15 interludes, solos, and choruses. Not surprisingly, contemporary audiences have difficulty sitting through such a static work without some visual distraction, so the solution offered by director Johannes Deutsch in this 2010 performance from the Tonhalle Düsseldorf is to project the face of Johann von Bülow (playing Manfred) against a screen on the back of the stage where mountains and swirling clouds also appear in various colors. Von Bülow performs with vigor, and the musical side is solid, with Andrey Boreyko leading the Düsseldorf Symphony in a virile reading of the score, and the chorus and vocalists in fine form. But apart from the oft-recorded overture, this just isn't top-flight Schumann, and for most viewers the music won't make up for Manfred's protracted monologue. Presented in PCM stereo, this is an optional purchase. (F. Swietek)