Euphonious
David Saemann | 09/14/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a CD of simply lovely music. Mendelssohn composed over 100 songs and duets, and although he does not plumb the depths that Schubert and Schumann do, his songs are always stylish and very agreeable. They are less appropriate to the concert hall than to the salon. The most famous song on this CD is On the Wings of Song, but every selection, even the unpublished ones, is totally winning. The performances are very fine. Sophie Daneman sings with a lovely tone if with occasional fragility that is not unsuited to this early Romantic music. Stephan Loge is a real find. He has a rich, well modulated tone and phrases seemlessly. Their duets are exquisitely matched. Eugene Asti plays supportively with a wonderful sense of Mendelssohn's unique piano style. Add to this fine, wide ranging sound engineering and you have a first-class song recital."