Schubert: Sei mir gegrüsst! D741 (Rückert)

“Arleen Auger brings her special quality of chaste intimacy to gentle, small-scale performances of 23 of Schubert's most popular songs” BBC Music Magazine, October 2010 ***

“Yamada in particular is outstanding throughout, always poised, pertly eloquent, alert and conscientious in the drawing together of threads so that these three contrasted idioms do some weaving of their own upon the listener's imagination.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2010

“This debut recital disc stands out for high-quality playing but also for the inclusion of three fascinating early works by Messiaen” The Observer, 28th February 2010

“…Watt's youthful, radiant delivery, with no flaws in technique that I can hear, fits many of the Lieder like a glove.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2009 ****

“A voice in its first, radiant freshness is always to be cherished in Schubert. Watts is a thoughtful interpreter, too, alive to mood and atmosphere… Crucially, she also brings a measure of innocence and simplicity - not quite the same thing as artlessness - to many of these songs, allied to a technical mastery that allows her to spin a rapt, unblemished line in "Nacht und Träume".” Gramophone Magazine, February 2009

“Hailed as a singer to watch after winning the 2006 Kathleen Ferrier Award and the 2007 Cardiff Song Prize, Elizabeth Watts makes her CD debut with this refreshingly unhackneyed Schubert programme. Perennial soprano favourites – DieForelle, Nacht und Träume, Frühlingsglaube, Suleika – are not shunned. But Watts has alighted on some rarely aired gems. How often in recital do we hear the agitated scena-in-miniature AusDiego Manzanares; or the playfully charming paean to spring Die Blumensprache; or the Novalis setting Marie, where sacred and profane blur in a song of exquisite, rarefied grace? A voice in its first, radiant freshness is always to be cherished in Schubert. Watts is a thoughtful interpreter, too, alive to mood and atmosphere, colouring her tone in response to a darkening of the harmony in, say, Sei mir gegrüsst. Crucially, she also brings a measure of innocence and simplicity – not quite the same thing as artlessness – to many of these songs, allied to a technical mastery that allows her to spin a rapt, unblemished line in Nacht und Träume. Encouraged by Vignoles's buoyant accompaniment, she makes an engaging story-teller in Die Forelle, with an unexaggerated touch of indignation at the angler's treachery; and she sings the mildly salacious refrain song Die Männer sind méchant with just the right wide-eyed mock-pathos.
Quibbles? Well, in one or two songs, including the opening An den Mond, Watts struck me as overly languid. She treats Nähe des Geliebten as an elegiac litany, where, say, Janet Baker, choosing a more mobile tempo and finding greater variety from verse to verse, sings it as a passionate avowal of love. Watts also emphasises melancholy over excited anticipation in Frühlingsglaube and Suleika. Here and elsewhere, Watts under-exploits the expressive potential of German consonants. That said, highlights are lovely performances of Nachtviolen – the high tessitura effortlessly negotiated – or the Mozartian barcarolle Liane: just two songs among many where the vernal purity of Watts's tone and the grace of her phrasing are priceless assets.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“One of the most versatile, as at ease in Baroque repertoire as in music from Handel and Mozart to Schumann, Fink's rich, warm voice boasts the perfect blend of colour and clarity.” The Observer

“[Fink's] Schubert springs directly from the eloquence of her diction, her understanding of the text and the velvet-like beauty of her exquisite mezzo-soprano. Nobody who loves Schubert should forgo the pleasures of this fine singing and playing. One of the records of the year, no doubt” Sunday Times, 24th August 2008 *****

“We're conscious throughout of a great voice superbly controlled, though [Fink] doesn't give nearly enough attention to words or expressive detail.” Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 12th September 2008 ***

“Supported by Huber's faultless articulation, Fink's tender tone and perfect diction relect every nuance of emotion in the modulations of 'Im Frühling' and 'Dass sie hier gewesen'” The Independent, 7th September 2008

“The clear, unfettered lyrical mezzo of Bernardo Fink makes this a winning new Schubert recital…” BBC Music Magazine, October 2008 ****

“This superlative disc, worthy of 10 stars establishes the mezzo Bernarda Fink as one of today’s great artists. The simplicity of her approach to Schubert is part of her magic. No arch mannerisms, no exaggerated emotion, but no lack of passion and insight. On every track you will find inspiration working at full intensity. She has the poise of a Ludwig. Even in the best known songs, she brings a fresh sense of adventure. Gerhard Huber is he accomplished pianist.” Sunday Telegraph

“Bostridge reveals his expanding mastery in the widest variety of expression, with the subtlest range of tone, and with a deliberate hardening of the characteristically sweet voice in some of the more dramatic songs...In all this Drake is the perfect partner, ranging wide in his tonal palette too” Penguin Guide, 2010 edition ****

“Few discs of favourite Schubert songs match this for sheer beauty...[Bostridge] offers fresh revelation in even the best-known songs” Penguin Guide, 2010 edition ****

“A voice more for Schöne Müllerin than Winterreise, Bostridge's fresh, buoyant, beautifully articulated tenor suits these Lieder perfectly. The literary and musical impulses are in perfect equilibrium, and Drake's rapport is absorbing.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2006 ****

“There are unknown treasures here. Anyone who hasn't invested in this vast enterprise might well begin with this volume” Classic CD