Schubert: Der Doppelgänger D957 No. 13

Daniel Marty is well known as an opera singer but on this CD his performances of works by 18th century composers are particularly illuminating. Also included are the 12 songs of Georges Migot, composed in 1950 and quite a rarity.

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

George London was the outstanding Amfortas,Wotan and Dutchman of the late 1950s and early '60s, but also belonged among those singers with a mature vocal technique and intelligent characterisation who were able to enthuse audiences in the concert hall without relying merely on their stage charisma (even though that was present in abundance). At the height of his career, which was cut short tragically, London gave a lieder recital at the Theater an der Wien. It was there that he had laid the foundations of his European career (and thus also of his later, triumphant return to his native North America). London began his recital with the Heine songs from Schubert's Schwanengesang, wandered in the footsteps of Feodor Chaliapin by singing Jacques Ibert's Iberian-influenced Don Quichotte and finally Modest Mussorgski's Songs and Dances of Death - tone paintings of archaic grandeur in which he was wholly in his element. In all three cycles, Erik Werba as accompanist completely lived up to his reputation as a modest, but equal partner. In addition to this live recording from Austrian Radio, ORFEO here offers as a bonus the five songs by Henri Duparc with which George London had ten years earlier made his lieder debut before a microphone, in Canada, the country of his birth.

Faniard made his debut as a heroic tenor in 1926 in Antwerp and in 1930 made his debut at the Paris Opera. He only made two gramophone recordings of Flemish songs on 78s but some of his radio recordings survive. This CD includes Schumann’s Dichterliebe and songs by Fauré, Duparc and Saint-Saëns.

Born in 1974,Transylvanian pianist Ferenc Vizi graduated with first prize from the Paris Conservatoire in 1998. He has also carried off a number of other prestigious prizes: 1st in the Saratov competition (Russia, 2000), 4th in the Hamamatsu (Japan, 2000), 2nd prize and special jury prize in the Arthur Rubinstein (Tel-Aviv, 2001) and 2nd prize in the Munich ARD competition in 2002. He regularly partners as a chamber musician the 'cellists Henri Demarquette, François Salque and Françoise Groben, and the violinists Graf Mourja and Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabedian.

recorded London, 22-24 May 1950