2003 Roverandom (Ulrich Noethen)

Release Date: 2003.03.12
Reader: Ulrich Noethen
Language: German
Translator: Hans J. Schütz
Organisation: Der Hörverlag
ISBN: 9783899400984
Duration: 2 hours 38 minutes
Unabridged: Yes
Country: Germany
Licenced: Yes
Formats: CD, Digital

Ulrich Noethen is a successful actor known for films like Downfall and Comedian Harmonists. Critics from the Süddeutsche Zeitung praised his “schlanker” (slender) and “federnder” (springy) voice. He captures the “casual turbulence” of the story, perfectly balancing the whimsical nature of a toy dog with the darker, more mythic elements of the White Dragon and the Man in the Moon. Noethen is noted for not just “reading” but acting the different roles, giving the various sorcerers and creatures distinct vocal identities without it becoming a full-cast dramatization.

The reading uses the translation by Hans J. Schütz which is praised for its faithfulness to Tolkien’s specific 1920s-era English charm, which Schütz translates into a classic, slightly old-fashioned but accessible German.

This release is Volume 6 of a six-part series published by Der Hörverlag titled Tolkiens kleinere Werke (Tolkien’s Smaller Works). The series includes:

VolumeGerman TitleEnglish TitleNarrator
1Elbenwald – Blatt von TüftlerLeaf by NiggleGert Heidenreich
2Bauer Giles von HamFarmer Giles of HamHans Paetsch
3Der ElbensternSmith of Wootton MajorAchim Höppner
4Die Briefe vom WeihnachtsmannLetters from Father ChristmasChristian Hoening
5Herr GlückMr. BlissGert Heidenreich
6RoverandomRoverandomUlrich Noethen

Release History:

20039783899400984This featured a thick jewel case inside a cardboard slipcase (Pappschuber), typically using the iconic blue-and-green Tolkien illustration (The Gardens of the Merking’s Palace) used on the English editions. CD x 3
20099783868007107Weltbild Edition reissue as part of the “Geschichten aus dem gefährlichen Königreich” (Tales from the Perilous Realm) series, often found in a simpler slimline case. CD x 3
20119783844505290High-Quality MP3 / AAX (Audible, Spotify & Deezer) 2011.09.21
20129783844507218In May 2012, the digital version was re-indexed to match the new numbering of the Tolkiens kleinere Werke (Tolkien’s Smaller Works) series.