Strauss, R: Wie sollten wir geheim sie halten, Op. 19 No. 4

“As always with Isokoski, one either finds a certain humanity in her less-than-rounded tones - or not. Such positive qualities burn from within during songs such as 'Zueignung' and 'Morgen!'...and especially in the lesser-known 'Befreit', a performance whose subtle empathy is a summation of what has always made Isokoski such an endearing figure on the operatic landscape.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2012

“a feat of some of Strauss's greatest solo songs, all sung with high intelligence, in impeccable German, in beautiful sound (the piano especially sympathetic, well-rounded), with accompaniments from Marita Viitasalo impeccably groomed, seldom obtrusive let alone assertive, and perhaps all the better for that...Isokoski does not always seek to cultivate the voice beautiful...She is adept at picking up every nuance” International Record Review, May 2012

“Isokoski begins with disarming lightness of touch...It's easy to forget that, at its core, this is a rich, almost heroic voice, modulating its way with seeming effortlessness through the bigger numbers at the heart of the recital...Isokoski's technique has stood the test of time...Viitasalo is clearly supportive...but more of an accompanist than an equal partner.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2012 ****

“The intense, silvered beauty of her tone — less peachy and voluptuous than Fleming’s — and the unmannered clarity of her diction are unique in this music today...The strange Ophelia set, rarely programmed, can never have been more sumptuously sung.” Sunday Times, 24th June 2012

“The disc that alerted international audiences to Kaufmann’s gifts as both a superb singer and outstanding interpreter of the German art-song repertoire.” Sunday Times, 9th August 2009

“Stupendous is the only word to describe it. This is sexy, passionate singing, delivered with thrilling ease.” The Guardian, 11th August 2006 *****

“Pianist and presiding spirit Roger Vignoles takes us on a select chronological jaunt, making sure Brewer boldly goes to the heart of the bigger numbers where lesser voices would fear to tread. Her glorious instrument, fine-tuned from top to bottom, effortlessly negotiates some of Strauss's more outlandish intervals.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2005 ****

“There seems to be no challenge that Christine Brewer and Roger Vignoles can’t meet in these opulent songs. Brewer’s soaring voice offers a fabulous range of colour and dynamics, and Vignoles matches her with a truly orchestral palette at the keyboard” Classic FM Magazine

“Christine Brewer … combines opulent, blazing tone, fearless top notes and surprising agility” Daily Telegraph

“This is the first volume in Hyperion's Richard Strauss edition, something to be devoutly hoped for: he was a great Lieder composer but only a small fraction of his 200-plus songs are at all well known. Admittedly, his taste in poetry wasn't always as elevated as that of his fellow composers, yet his music can transform rather ordinary verses. And the major poets do get a look-in.
This disc includes two Heine settings, one of which, 'Frühlingsfeier', came a year after Salome and echoes the operatic score. This is where Christine Brewer, whose repertory includes the title-roles in Ariadne auf Naxos and Die ägyptischeHelena, might be expected to be most comfortable: her big, gleaming soprano sweeps through impressively. If at first her voice seems less than ideally flexible as a Lieder instrument, especially in the earlier songs, it would be ungrateful not to marvel at what she does ultimately bring to these performances.
Opening with 'Zueignung', which Strauss never intended to be relegated to encore status, Brewer sounds glorious if a little staid. But she quickly lightens up, catching the palpitations of 'Wie sollten wir geheim sie halten' and the gem-like intimacy of 'Leises Lied'. She positively blazes in the sunlight-evoking 'In der Campagna', where Vignoles's piano captures the splash of a Straussian orchestra. Both artists bring something fresh to the chestnuts 'Allerseelen' and 'Wiegenlied', in which Brewer floats a beautiful line over the rippling accompaniment. Having the high tessitura demanded in the rarely heard Gesänge des Orients, she clinches any remaining argument magnificently.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“At all times Brewer and Vignoles work together hand in glove … This is a properly equal partnership that bodes very well indeed for this admirable project. Brewer and Vignoles set high standards for anyone who would record Strauss now and for future collaborations on Hyperion too!” International Record Review

“Christine Brewer in magisterial voice … a major project, beautifully performed and presented” The Independent

“Could there be a more enticing title stamped across a CD than Strauss: The Complete Songs – 1? Richard Strauss the man may be widely resistible; but it would take someone extraordinarily hard-hearted not to take any delight in his luxuriant imagination and succulent harmonies … each planned CD in the series will be shaped around the talents of different singers, and Brewer’s disc marks a tremendous start” The Times

“excellent vocal and lyrical presentation. An 'Erlkönig' brilliantly graduated in terms of colour becomes the highlight of the CD” Das Opernglas

“If there is a thrilling story to be told, such as 'Gretchen am Spinnard' or even more so in 'Erlkönig', Waltraud Meier launches into the dramatics of the story, and just as she is on the stage performing opera, she is a pure actress.” Frankfurter Neue Presse

“Meier... is accompanied by Joseph Breinl, a young pianist whose interpretation already possesses a wonderful maturity. He accentuates the orchestral side of Schubert’s piano setting just as colourful as the intimate chamber musical moods so that... Schubert’s songs are rendered in an outrageously dense and tonally beautiful way. […] Finally, in the evergreen "Zuneigung", Waltraud Meier shows the wide range of her voice, which even in extremely slow passages retains its inner cohesion.” klassik.com

“great potential and presentation possibilities […] Each word of the poetry is felt with emotion and meaning through the music. Schubert’s 'Erlkönig' is in itself an experience, in how Meier interprets the roles of the King of the Elves and also of the little boy trembling with fear.” Main-Post

“Accompanied by Joseph Breinl, who provides a richly colourful interpretation, in the piano version by Wolf and Roth, she makes Strauss’s "Vier letzten Lieder" the high point of the whole-hearted and exciting recital, a genre in which she has much experience. […] She almost makes mini-operas out of the songs, using the whole spectrum of theatrical colours right up to the dramatic scene of Schubert’s 'Erlkönig'” Opernwelt

“Fassbender is an understanding, sympathetic and, above all, straightforward guide to this music. The recording… deserves hearing for both its interesting juxtaposition of repertoire and the unaffected sincerity of the performances…” Gramophone Magazine, April 2008