The British mezzo, Alice Coote, will make her Met Opera debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro later this month. On the first of April, she gave a recital of Mahler and Schubert lieder, accompanied by Julius Drake. Here are two reviews.
With Mahler and Schubert Through a Galaxy of Moods
By BERNARD HOLLAND [NY Times, 4 April 2006]
The British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote made herself known to New York fanciers of song on Sunday afternoon. With her pianist, Julius Drake, she sang Mahler and Schubert at Alice Tully Hall and introduced a voice of quality and a deeply connected sense of musical style.
Click here for remainder of article.
A Snakebit Song Cycle
By FRED KIRSHNIT [NY Sun, 4 April 2006]
The Schubert-Mahler connection was much in the air on Sunday afternoon when British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote presented a recital at Alice Tully Hall. Mahler grew up within the Central European vocal tradition, and his early works for voice and orchestra are reminiscent of two great men of lieder, Franz Schubert and Carl Loewe. His first song cycle, "Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen" ("Songs of a Wayfarer") is dramatic, like Loewe, and touched with poignant Schubertian sadness. This is Mahler's "Winterreise," full of youthfully ardent emotions of loving and losing, with all the words written by the composer.