Strauss - Lieder
Kaufmann; Deutsch
Harmonia Mundi HMC901879
Release date July 2006
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Tenor Jonas Kaufmann is no stranger to the Edinburgh Festival: his Queen’s Hall recital in 2001 (Schumann, Liszt and Strauss) marked him as a major talent, and he has returned several times since (notching up an acclaimed Schubert Winterreise in 2003 and roles in concert performances of Strauss’s Capriccio and Weber’s Der Freischutz). His discography, however, is remarkably short, so this first solo disc (with his regular pianist Helmut Deutsch) is not only overdue but all the more welcome. And what a glorious disc it is! From the opening Zueignung (Dedication) it is clear that this will be no self-communing, introverted recital, but rather a thrilling and almost overwhelming experience. Kaufmann seems to have endless physical resources on which to draw; the final verse of Befreit (Released) is so powerfully sustained it seems to come from the very core of the singer’s being. Yet in Die Nacht (Night) we hear beautiful, almost colourless top notes illustrating the bleaching effect of the moonlight, and Freundliche Vision (Kindly Vision) is simply but tellingly rendered. Kaufmann and Deutsch certainly know how to communicate; I loved Deutsch’s opening phrases in Nichts (Nothing) where he takes the music by the scruff of the neck and sets the mood for the exasperation of the words that follow, and I also enjoyed Kaufmann’s easy, conversational style in that and other songs. Both artists transport the listener into a mesmerising, impressionistic world in Traum durch die Dämmerung (Dream in the twilight), while Nachtgang (Walking at night) engenders a sensation of wondering, almost religious ecstasy. Occasionally one might wish for a touch more delicacy of tone in the uppermost reaches of Kaufmann’s voice; but generally the impact of his magnificent instrument is such that one gets the thrill of a live performance – despite this being a studio recording. Kaufmann and Deutsch perform several songs from this disc in their Queen’s Hall Festival appearance on August 24th, and I for one can’t wait to hear them!
Reviewed by Anne McAlister