Matthias Goerne Schumann Lieder, with Markus Hinterh‰user, a new recording from Harmonia Mundi. Singers, especially baritones, often come into their prime as they approach 50, and Goerne, who has been a star since his 20’s is now formidably impressive. The colours in his voice have matured, with even greater richness and depth than before.
Author: Anne Ozioro
Jonas Kaufmann : Mahler Das Lied von der Erde
Jonas Kaufmann Mahler Das Lied von der Erde is utterly unique but also works surprisingly well as a musical experience. This won’t appeal to superficial listeners, but will reward those who take Mahler seriously enough to value the challenge of new perspectives.
Mahler Symphony no 8 : Jurowski, LPO, Royal Festival Hall, London
Mahler as dramatist! Mahler Symphony no 8 with Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall. Now we know why Mahler didn’t write opera. His music is inherently theatrical, and his dramas lie not in narrative but in internal metaphysics. The Royal Festival Hall itself played a role, literally, since the singers moved round the performance space, making the music feel particularly fluid and dynamic. This was no ordinary concert.
The “Lost” Songs of Morfydd Owen
A new recording, made late last year, Morfydd Owen : Portrait of a Lost Icon, from T? Cerdd, specialists in Welsh music, reveals Owen as one of the more distinctive voices in British music of her era : a grand claim but not without foundation. To this day, Owen’s tally of prizes awarded by the Royal Academy of Music remains unrivalled.
Brahms A German Requiem, Fabio Luisi, Barbican London
Fabio Luisi conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in Brahms A German Requiem op 45 and Schubert, Symphony no 8 in B minor D759 (“Unfinished”).at the Barbican Hall, London.
Matthias Goerne : Mahler Eisler Wigmore Hall
A song cycle within a song symphony – Matthias Goerne’s intriuging approach to Mahler song, with Marcus Hinterh‰user, at the Wigmore Hall, London. Mahler’s entire output can be described as one vast symphony, spanning an arc that stretches from his earliest songs to the sketches for what would have been his tenth symphony. Song was integral to Mahler’s compositional process, germinating ideas that could be used even in symphonies which don’t employ conventional singing.
Winterreise : a parallel journey
Matthew Rose and Gary Matthewman Winterreise: a Parallel Journey at the Wigmore Hall, a recital with extras. Schubert’s winter journey reflects the poetry of Wilhelm M¸ller, where images act as signposts mapping the protagonist’s psychological journey.
Fortepiano Schubert : Wigmore Hall
The Wigmore Hall complete Schubert song series continued with a recital by Georg Nigl and Andreas Staier. Staier’s a pioneer, promoting the use of fortepiano in Schubert song. In Schubert’s time, modern concert pianos didn’t exist. Schubert and his contemporaries would have been familiar with a lighter, brighter sound. Over the last 30 years, we’ve come to better understand Schubert and his world through the insights Staier has given us. His many performances, frequently with Christoph PrÈgardien at the Wigmore Hall, have always been highlights.
Visionary Wagner – The Flying Dutchman, Finnish National Opera
An exceptional Wagner Der fliegende Holl‰nder, so challenging that, at first, it seems shocking. But Kasper Holten’s new production, currently at the Finnish National Opera, is also exceptionally intelligent.
Early Swedish opera – Stenhammer world premiere
The Feast at Solhaug : Henrik Ibsen’s play Gildet paa Solhaug (1856) inspired Wilhelm Stenhammer’s opera Gillet p Solhaug. The world premiere recording is now available via Sterling CD, in a 3 disc set which includes full libretto and background history.