Mahler: Ablösung im Sommer (Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit)

“Fuchs’ bright soprano radiates character and sensitivity. An enchanting disc.” Financial Times, 16th March 2013 ****

“It is a measure of her gifts that Chen Reiss takes all these composers in her stride. That vocal stride is impressive: sustained lyric tone that is only rarely forced...Charles Spencer is as ever the perfect partner” BBC Music Magazine, April 2013 ****

“Reiss fields a supple, vernal lyric-coloratura that soars without strain or hardness into the stratosphere. Discerningly partnered by Charles Spencer, she can spin a pure legato and always phrases musically, with rubato growing naturally from the curve of the line and the flux of the harmony...this is a more-than-promising recital from a soprano whose vocal ease and allure make her an artist to watch.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013

“Schwanewilms's voice is an acquired taste; those who crave full-bodied Italianate lushness of tone will not 'get' the singing of this gifted German jugendlich dramatisch soprano...The words invariably come across in a refreshingly direct, unfussy manner...this is a highly pleasurable programme that can be warmly welcomed by those who crave beautifully vocalized, unusually thoughtful Lieder performances.” International Record Review, February 2013

“Evidence of her artistry is everywhere apparent. Her phrasing is seamless, with none of the audible words-versus-music negotiations noticeable even in fine singers. Her vocal quality is not merely pure but powerful, though in her case that powers stays mostly in reserve until summoned by the music...Schwanewilms coaxes the listener into her realm with the subtlety of a whisper.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013

“Schwanewilms's interpretations are regularly imaginative, her singing musicianly, though not all of her vocalism matches her good intentions. There's sometimes...an edge to her tone that combines with a lack of vocal substance higher up...Elsewhere her wide-ranging instrument is used with artistic insight...she brings depth and command to Mahler's 'Das himmlische Leben', nicely capturing its blend of innocence and sophistication.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 ***

“this is a unique sequence, showing that most of the earliest settings which sit alongside the more familiar numbers, usually linked by theme, are just as finely-wrought and no less typical of Mahler's most haunting preoccupations.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2012 ****

“His word-painting is superb, replacing sheer vocal firepower wityh more Lieder-friendly qualities of agility , precision and nuance. Poetic narrative is everywhere apparent...Holzmair seems to make the case for Mahler inheriting the Lieder mantle from Schumann...for nearly 80 minutes you can listen to Mahler's melodies and barely recall that they exist in an orchestral version” Gramophone Magazine, December 2012

“Christian Gerhaher has always seemed an exceptionally profound and understanding singer and he proves that with this remarkable exploration of Mahler's songs...never over-emoting but keeping a beautiful, even line afloat often on the tiniest wisps of sound.” The Observer, 13th December 2009

“Gerhaher is today’s Lieder interpreter par excellence. The German baritone’s range of colour, velvet timbre and natural intelligence recall a golden age of artistry.” Financial Times, 12th December 2009 ****

“Christian Gerhaher has always seemed an exceptionally profound and understanding singer and he proves that with this remarkable exploration of Mahler's songs...never over-emoting but keeping a beautiful, even line afloat…” The Guardian, 13th December 2009

“With every disc he makes, the German baritone Christian Gerhaher emerges more and more clearly as the true heir to the Lieder-singing legacy of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau...Every song is explored with a perfect mixture of musical tact and illumination” The Guardian, 14th January 2010 *****

“[Gerhaher's] finest achievement to date — indeed, one of the greatest programmes of this composer’s lieder ever committed to disc...Gerold Huber is an equal partner, painting the piano parts in a rich palette of instrumental colours. For once, one hardly misses Mahler’s orchestrations. Utterly memorable.” Sunday Times, 31st January 2010 *****

“…outstandingly imaginative piano playing of Gerold Huber. He counterpoints voice and piano with the subtext within the settings, often with revelatory results. Both Gerhaher and Huber pace the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen perfectly, balancing the songs' emotional lights and deep shadows, their sense of wonder and of yearning. A glinting and newly honed knife-blade pierces the soul in the third song, colouring it with an Expressionist angst.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2010 *****

“Gerhaher and Huber immerse you so successfully in their interior world that you barely register the orchestra’s absence...Huber achieves pianistic miracles of colour and timing, and to call this a mature partnership barely begins to address the depth of their mutual understanding...might I humbly suggest that this could be the finest Mahler you’ll hear all year? Absolutely essential.” Andrew McGregor, bbc.co.uk, 25th March 2010

“This disc shows Stephan Genz entering his fourth decade with all the light suppleness and ardour of his youthful recordings, but now with darker colours and firmer bass ballast folding into his baritone. His intuitive musical partnership with Roger Vignoles is as sentient and perceptive as ever; and together they uncover the dark, sensual mysteries of the late-Romantic response to the natural world” BBC Music Magazine

“Stephan Genz's voice and style place him above his many noted contemporaries. His mellifluous baritone recalls that of a young Thomas Hampson, but his understanding of the Lieder genre is even more penetrating, as this Mahler recital reveals. Each song is shaped as a whole yet with subtleties of phrase and word-painting that seem inevitable in every respect, especially as the chosen tempi always seem the right ones.
Performing and listening to these songs with piano is inevitably a more intimate experience than when they are heard in their orchestral garb.
The pair's rapport is evident throughout. Memorable are the the poise and stillness of 'Ich atmet' einen Linden duft' from the Rückert-Lieder, the eloquent sadness of 'Nicht Wiedersehen' and the restrained sorrow of the whole of Kindertotenlieder.
Not a hint of sentimentality, such a danger in Mahler, spoils the experience of the composer's deeply felt emotions.
Hyperion's recording, beautifully balanced, catches the true quality of Genz's voice and the refinement of Vignoles's playing. This disc is an experience not to be missed by any lover of Mahler and/or of Lieder.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The performance are radiant and deeply understanding from both singer and pianist, well caught in atmospheric recording. A heart-warming record.” Penguin Guide, 2010 ****

“Really outstanding issues like this one remain few and far between. A happy testament to all Rattle has achieved in Birmingham.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2005

“With a Nordic timbre suggesting a genetic kinship with Karita Mattila, Räisänen's instrument is clear, clean and beautifully produced from a technical standpoint, with an extra something that's initially hard to put your finger on. Then, as the recital goes on, you realise a violinist's sensibility is at work...As much as her sound recalls Mattila, her vocal line is like Felicity Lott's...it's a highly impressive calling-card.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2012

“the precision of Raisenen's singing is most impressive, although it doesn't come across as cold or overly technical...Her sound is bright on top and her lower register is rich without being matronly. She is idiomatic in German, Russian and English...The only thing that I miss in her singing is communicative warmth and intimacy...Here is a singer to keep an ear on.” International Record Review, February 2013