Beautifully sung but missing the last degree of fantasy
Ralph Moore | Bishop's Stortford, UK | 02/15/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"My touchstones for this wonderful song cycle have always been the recorded performances of Aksel Schiøtz accompanied by Gerald Moore - an incomparable, vintage account, but obviously in hissy, mono 1945 sound - the delectable sibling team of Ian and Jennifer Partridge in a speedy, thistledown-light 1973 CfP disc and, in pure vocal terms, Fritz Wunderlich's 1966 version which is unfortunately compromised by stodgy, unimaginative pianism. All three of these tenors are demonstrably lighter and brighter than Kaufmann and thus capable of injecting more fantasy into the quieter, higher passages; Kaufmann, with his baritonal timbre must work far harder to fine down his big sound and achieve a delicacy and poignancy which come more easily to his tenor forebears. He also has to work harder to achieve intimacy in the big, resonant acoustic given to him by Decca; at times, especially in the earlier, exuberant or declamatory songs he seems a little crude alongside the poise of, say, Schiøtz. He does not really have the right vocal "face" for this music but does wonders with the voice he has, even if it is not as intrinsically beautiful as others.
One thing is certain: Helmut Deutsch draws upon his vast experience to provide some of the most fluid, fluent and subtle acccompaniment we have heard for years in this deceptively simple music; he is alive to every nuance of phrasing and dynamics and matches his singer with unfailing sensitivity.
My first listening of this disc prompted an odd sensation of dejà-vu. I do not mean that necessarily as a crticism, but Kaufmann's vocal characteristics are so individual that I knew how he would sound in this music before I heard it: the husky, slightly "windy" Vickers-style production of his mezza-voce, the long breath, the baritonal heft the perfect German diction, are all very welcome - but I am sometimes more aware of listening to Kaufmann than I am to Schubert, if you follow me; some effects sound a little calculated compared with the simplicity these folk-songs require. He also sounds decidedly ill-at-ease in the near Sprechstimme of "Die Jäger", which at this speed requires a fleetness beyond him. I think if I did not have an attachment to the older recordings mentioned above, this could be a first choice as long as you favour his style, but I cannot in all honesty say that I find Kaufmann's larger scale delivery as moving or affecting as his predecessors. It is still a lovely performance by perhaps the best tenor before the public today and conforms to my (and, according to the liner notes, Kaufmann's) conviction that this cycle is far better delivered by a tenor than a baritone. Who could believe that one of the reasons why Kaufmann chose to record it was that he is already forty and wanted to capture his interpretation while his voice still encompassed youthful ardour? He certainly does that and, in addition, manages a welcome degree of yearning melancholy. His fans will not be disappointed.
PS: What marketing genius at Decca sanctioned the tacky cover photo?"
A most welcome change of expressiveness
Abel | Hong Kong | 04/12/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Die Schone Mullerin, one of the most popular song cycles of Schubert, sung and recorded by numerous artists in the past and present, from tenor to baritone (to even some sopranos).
Lieder singing is not limited to small voices, I believe. And Jonas Kaufmann just simply offered, with his partner Helmut Deutsche, a glaringly striking example of how lieder singing 'could' be apart from the traditional 'smallish-voiced' singing.
True that the opening pieces may offer the listener certain discomfort, especially if the listener has got 'used to' listening to threads of voices in these pieces. It takes around 4 to 5 numbers before unaccustomed listeners got attuned to Kaufmann's style.
Once got used to, wow, what a jaw-dropping interpretation! What glorious expressiveness! What depth of emotional outpouring!
I cannot find adequate words (given my limited vocabulary) to describe the absolutlely stunned feeling of listening to Kaufmann's Die Schone Mullerin. Let me admit - no one single lieder singer had managed to grip my attention to the extent as Mr. Kaufmann in this entire cycle, not even Fischer-Dieskau, let alone Wunderlich or Gerhaher.
Helmut Deutsche accounts for half of this live performance's success. Both he and Kaufmann presented the cycle as a compact and composite entirety, closely knit in emotion and musicality. Kaufmann's great vocal capacity blends in well with Deutsche's almost aggressively expressive 'accompaniment' - accompaniment may not be the right word, since it is not secondary to the vocal line but everywhere going parallel with it. Without Kaufmann's large vocal expressive capacity, however, even Deutsche's 'accompaniment' would not have worked so effectively.
A marvellous pair in all respects.
If any one seeks to dismiss this wonderful recital as 'another' Die Schone Mullerin, he would be missing out a big deal!"
A real artist, falling just short of the heights
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/07/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Judging from live performances I've heard online, Schubert's song cycles have been in the repertoire of Jonas Kaufmann for nearly a decade. As he turns forty, he's no longer young, so it was right to persuade Decca to give him a lieder recital, even though these must sell much less than operas. We lovers of Schubert are grocery store cats, ultra-finicky when it comes to Die Schone Mullerin. In particular, we are suspicious of opera stars attempting a cycle where emotions, though intense, must be expressed with a smaller, more contained vocal style. Belting out Schubert is forbidden, and the mellifluous ghosts of Aksel Schotz and Heinrich Schlusnuss hover in the vaporous ether to remind us of past perfection in lieder.
Kaufmann has a big tenor that is strongly supported and baritonal in timbre. Yet he does know how to taper it down to lieder size -- not always smoothly but without noticeable strain. He has a romantic bent (the sappy cover photo didn't need to be so blatant about it) and satisfying artistry, honed by years spent with these songs. Essentially his approach is natural and direct. He doesn't think out each song to the smallest details, as Fischer-Dieskau did, and he lacks the depth of a Peter Pears. On his own terms, however, Kaufmann produces a compelling account. I'd wish for more variety at times. The songs tend to sound a bit uniform, cut from the same seensitive cloth, despite the fact that Schone Mullerin progresses from sunny ardency to tragedy. Another recent tenor, Werner Gura, made a deeper emotional impression on me. For the ultimate in a tenor version of the cycle, no one has approached Julius Patzak, whose account from the era of 78s makes a shattering impact from the very first song and achieves tragic catharsis by the end.
That said, Kaufmann is a real artist, and his new version deserves to stand beside the one from Fritz Wunderlich, another natural, unfussy singer with romantic tendencies. We're not speaking of equality, but the comparison is still honorable. Helmut Deutsch, as usual, provides accompaniments that are proficient, impersonal, and far short of inspired."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1