Schubert: Wandrers Nachtlied II 'Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh', D768 (Wanderers Night Song)

Gérard Souzay (1918–2004) was born into a musical family – his father was a cellist, and his two brothers and his sister all singers. Souzay chose to study philosophy at university, and it was only after a meeting with Pierre Bernac in Paris in 1942 that he was persuaded to enter the Paris Conservatoire to study singing. He entered the concert circuit shortly after the end of the Second World War, and soon displayed the qualities that would make him one of the great voices of the 20th century – a love of words and a superb technique that combined a fine tone with a natural gift for expression.

His obituaries in 2004 all commented on the qualities of his voice, and were full of epithets such as ‘warm’, ‘lyrical’, ‘supple’, ‘sensual’ and ‘vibrant’. He was keen not to be pigeonholed as a singer of French repertoire, and this 2 CD set vividly illustrates his mastery of Schubert’s lieder. The coupling of the composer’s freshest and most immediately appealing song-cycle, Die schöne Müllerin, with a generous selection of other, universally known lieder, is sure to have wide appeal beyond historical enthusiasts: the recordings are in excellent stereo.

New booklet notes by Lieder authority Richard Stokes.

‘Souzay’s interpretation makes a less virile figure of the miller’s apprentice than either of the others and perhaps, because of this, makes more credible the girl’s jilting of him for the black-bearded hunter (I’m sure his beard was black!), but there is plenty of passion in his singing and a smooth treatment of the two-note quaver groups. The climactic ends of the verses “Dein ist mein Herz”, etc. ring out as well in “Ungeduld” as in “Mein!”, and at all times one is aware of a carefully thought-out presentation, an expressive treatment of the words and a sensitive response to the changing moods. The many strophic songs have plenty of nuance, and Souzay holds the interest through the five verses of “Des Baches Wiegenlied”.’ Gramophone, June 1965

Historic Masters Ltd. Is delighted to be associated with, and to have contributed to, this CD release of little known material by one of the truly great tenors of the twentieth century. In the course of our researches we have discovered original metal parts for three recordings by Jussi Björling which were not released by EMI at the time they were made. All three have now been issued as part of our Historic Masters series and we are delighted to be able to make copies available for transfer to this CD. The tenor solo from Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles was recorded in April 1947. Given that it is Björling’s only studio version of this aria, it seems surprising that it remained unissued until November 1977, late in the LP era. Only then was it included in an EMI boxed set entitled The Art of Jussi Björling. The other two items, the songs Mattinata and For you alone, rank amongst our most sensational discoveries in the EMI archive. These were the very first recordings made by Björling as an adult on 4 September 1929. Piano accompanied, they were almost certainly intended as tests to determine Björling’s suitability for a recording contract. Listening to these first recordings, there can be no surprise that Björling clearly passed this examination with flying colours. Three months later he was in the studio for what was in effect the launching of his hugely successful recording career with HMV and Victor. In the first few months of that career Björling repeated both songs – this time with full orchestral accompaniment. Perhaps this explains why the original tests were forgotten and, indeed, were marked in March 1930 as ‘destroyed’. In 1952, RCA, using the recently developed tape technology, decided to record a selection of the songs that Björling performed at his recitals. It is unlikely that all of these pieces would have been given at one time, but they were certainly included in his programmes over the years and give a very representative selection of the range of his repertoire. Apart from German Lieder, he always liked to sing some Swedish pieces, as well as works by the Finnish composer Sibelius, who complimented him on his interpretations of his songs, particularly those written to Swedish words. This recording from 1952 remained on the catalogue for many years as an LP in the USA, but it was less widely available in Europe and can now be heard here for the first time in a CD transfer from the original master tape. It finds Björling in particularly glorious voice.

Extract from the booklet