Search - Wolfgang Holzmair, Hugo [Composer] Wolf, Imogen Cooper :: Wolf: Songs

An enjoyable, lyric approach to the Morike Lieder

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 06/05/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As the major labels back out of chamber music, the vacuum is being filled by house labels like Wigmore Hall. The venue is London's prime small hall, and with almost a concert a day in high season, their backlog of recitals is enormous and features literally every well known singer, chamber group, and instrumental soloist. Here we have 25 of Wolf's Morike songs sung by long-time musical partners Imogen Cooper and Wolfgang Holzmair. At the time, in 2008, the Austrian baritone was 56, but the voice is fresh except for a quaver on long-held notes or when the dynamic puts in under pressure. Among the baritones known for their lieder, Holzmair's voice sounds the most tenorish, and he uses it with grace and finesse.



Strangely, one of his shortcomings serves him well here. Always one to skim over the surface of a song, he makes light weather of Wolf in such a way that we aren't quickly fatigued by the composer's concentrated intensity. A typical Wolf lied doesn't unfold so much as uncoil. But take Holzmair's rendition of the barn-burning "Der Feuerreiter" and compare it with any other singer's, and despite a good nasty snarl, his approach isn't as visceral or powerful. As far as advantages go, the singer's German is idiomatic, of course, and he pays attention to the words. Pianist Imogen Cooper has emerged on her own as a soloist, and here she puts herself forward with strong accompaniments that tend to overshadow Holzmair's sometimes fragile vocalism, and although they are long accustomed to each other, I found her going her own way with Wolf's often fascinating piano part.



Even though no single song stands out as one of the best versions I've ever heard, the recital overall provides an enjoyable experience, and an increasingly rare one since so few record companies are willing to invest in a composer considered caviar to the general."