Mahler: Rückert-Lieder (5 songs, complete)

“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 *****

“The sheer spiritual power, the sheer heartfelt sincerity and warmth of feeling in her every utterance is overwhelmingly moving” The Telegraph

“Here, she is heard in Mahler's Five Ruckert Lieder, the voice unfailingly beautiful, the words evocative, and in the valedictory Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (I am lost to the world), serenely resigned and sadly prophetic. A glowing memento of a glorious artist” Sunday Times

“This mezzo-soprano had a profound musical bond with Mahler, for example, and this is her only extant recording of the Ruckert Lieder. It's a marvel … Roger Vignoles deserves praise, too, for his playing matches Hunt Lieberson in its emotional concentration and directness … "Unbewegte laue Luft" ends the recital on an ecstatic note that surely sent the audience out on a cloud. Indispensable” Gramophone Magazine

“This recital presents a remarkable singer still at the height of her powers some eight years before her untimely death … All in all, this is a cherishable memento of a very special artist” International Record Review

“It is difficult to get through this recital without a lump in your throat … Her performance of Mahler's Ruckert Lieder, one of the finest on disc, avoids the usual morbidity and contains flashes of divine revelation ... Essential listening” The Guardian

“This 1998 recital's value has certainly increased immeasurably since Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's death last year. The mezzo-soprano had a profound musical bond with Mahler… and this is her only extant recording of the Rückert-Lieder. It’s a marvel. "Liebst du um Schönheit" is volcanic in its passion yet superbly controlled. ..."Deep River" (one of Lieberson's favourite encores) provides a welcome balm, and Brahms's "Unbewegte laue Luft" ends the recital on an ecstatic note that surely sent the audience out on a cloud. Indispensable.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2007

“The unique warmth of tone is sounded in the first notes even of the lighter Mahler songs. But there's also a spiritual grace in her approach. Key tracks such as Mahler's 'Ich bin de Welt abhanden gekommen'; the spiritual 'Deep river'; her fervent second encore, Brahms's 'Unbewegte laue Luft' and Handel's 'As rosy steps'... place Hunt Lieberson alongside the best of Kathleen Ferrier and Dame Janet Baker, whose Mahler is matched for personality here.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2007 *****

“Her performance of the Leibestod is an object lesson in engagement with the text, sensuality and controlled power.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2008

“What a revelation this disc actually turns out to be. Lott's voice brings wonderful subtlety and intensity to the music, Isolde's death scene in particular.” Classic FM Magazine

“I have never heard him sing better...He was at the top of his game....a recital that should serve as a model.” The New York Sun

“what a perceptive and versatile recitalist Ann Murray is … to each group of songs Murray brought a perfectly judged sense of style and delivery. Just as on the operatic stage, she knows exactly how to communicate with an audience and what to tell them.” – The Guardian