Enthralling mix of favourites and neglected gems
marc28 | 07/19/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Schubert: An 1826 Schubertiad.Enthralling mix of well - known favourites and neglected gems.For anyone who loves Lieder, this disc is treasurable, even though one's response to the performance of one of the three main singers can best be described as modified rapture. Of the well - known songs here, "Der Einsame" and "An Silvia" are amongst the most readily recognized, but they are given performances that are very different in quality. Baritone Richard Jackson opts for a too- "gemütlich" style of singing, at times sounding as though he is about to slide off a chair, and he is not helped by the (unusually) plodding accompaniment of Graham Johnson - one longs for Fischer-Dieskau's vigour and Gerald Moore's lively rubato. "An Silvia" is another matter; Johnson and John Mark Ainsley perform this well - worn number as though they are the first to do so, Ainsley singing with fresh, forward, ardent tone, and Johnson echoing his wonderfully buoyant phrasing. The third singer on this disc is Christine Schäfer, and I would urge anyone who has yet to hear this marvellous soprano, to listen to this disc for her singing alone. "Wiegenlied" (the setting of the poem by Seidl, not the one by Körner which Ainsley performs with equal transcendency on edition no 20 of the series) was one of Elena Gerhardt's favourite songs, and Schäfer sings it in a way which Gerhardt would surely have loved; her tone is warm, full and rich, and her feeling for words is exemplary - listen to how she shapes the vowels in the lovely closing lines "Und das Erwachen / Lohnt mit dem Traum."One of the special delights of this series is the inclusion of Schubert's songs for solo voice and chorale, and the celebrated "Nachthelle" is the star turn here, or rather John Mark Ainsley's performance of the "damnably high" tenor part is. It has to be said that this sort of thing is an acquired taste, since not everyone is bound to enjoy the experience of Mr. Ainsley soaring up to the heights of the vocal stratosphere whilst what can at times seem like a barbershop quartet follows along behind (or should that be beneath?) him at a respectful distance. However, for anyone who loves vocal display as well as genuinely great singing, this piece is a must; Schubert's music is at once tender and heroic, and the performance does it full justice - Ainsley's familiar word - painting is nowhere so beautifully in evidence as in phrases such as "Steh'n übersilbert ganz" with its ethereal high B flat.Elsewhere on the disc, Jackson gives a heartfelt performance of "Der Wanderer an den Mond," achieving a finely judged contrast between the first, more jaunty verse and the poignant second, and Schäfer sings "Horch, horch! Die Lerch" in spirited style.No Schubert lover - and this, of course, means no music lover - should be without this wonderful C.D."
