SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD UK CONCERT REVIEW

Loewe, Schubert, Wolf, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Weill: Catherine Hopper (mezzo-soprano), Joseph Middleton (piano). Wigmore Hall, London. 26.6.2010 (ED)

 

Catherine Hopper and Joseph Middleton made near ideal recital partners throughout this varied programme. The first half, consisting of German lieder, demonstrated just how at home they were with some staples of the core repertoire. Loewe's Erlkönig, rather than Schubert's, provided the route into the selection, and was delivered with aplomb that brought the drama of the narrative to vivid life.

Four Schubert songs followed : Meeres Stille – Becalmed – aptly caught the sense of stillness implied by the title with the full richness of Hopper's lower range timbre becoming noticeable as her voice relaxed a little. Suleika I flowed at a well-chosen tempo, Middleton handling the change of tempo with dexterity, whilst Hopper paid attention to the shading of the text appropriately. The downbeat mood of Ernst Verlust was immediately established by Middleton with the accompaniment's first chord, which both artists maintained for the song's brief duration. After this brief and simple interlude, indicative of intelligent programming, the wider emotional range of Ganymed's larger canvas was all the more to be appreciated. Excellence of touch was matched by excellence of diction and tonal assuredness. Only towards the end – as later in the programme – did Hopper tend to slightly over-project her voice, thus blunting the beauty of her interpretation a little unnecessarily.

Wolf's Four Mignon Songs were largely probed with intelligence, again with Hopper seeking to rightly expose the emotion that lies at the heart of the settings. Subtlety of inflection was not absent however, nor effective use of a darkness in her mezzo-soprano, both qualities informed our understanding of Mignon III. A pity, therefore, that textual complications at the start of Mignon, which immediately followed, somewhat inhibited the natural conclusion of the song set, though even this might be overlooked because of the gripping emotional security given to the final line.

Greater variety – not least of repertoire – characterised the second half. Debussy's oddly ambiguous Proses lyriques set interpretive problems for singer and pianist alike with need to balance stillness with forward propulsion – the issue that forms the very heart of Pelléas et Mélisande. Throughout finely spun lines and floated tone from Hopper were balanced by Middleton's adroitly judged and always unforced accompaniments. The minimalism of the music was underlined by the little that Hopper did with her hand gestures and concentrated facial acting.

Poetry of an altogether other kind was heard in the three Tchaikovsky romances. Sred' shumnovo bala's lilting tempo was appositely caught; Moy geniy, noy angel contrasted with a brief dose of pepper, before Otchevo? proved wistfully reflective.

Kurt Weill was perhaps not one often prompted to restraint, but when he was the results prove all the more enduring. Je ne t'aime pas amply proved the point, with Hopper neatly integrating the spoken text into her sung delivery. Two numbers from One Touch of Venus completed the evening: Speak Low was suitably sultry, whilst I'm a Stranger Here Myself underscored the point once more that both performers were thoroughly at home on the Wigmore's stage. A highly enjoyable evening.

Evan Dickerson

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