Amy BEACH (1867-1944)
Rendezvous: Love songs
See end of review for track listing
Jörg Waschinski (soprano); Meininger Trio (Christiane Meininger (flute);
Françoise Groben (cello); Rainer Gepp (piano))
rec. 28 July-1 August 2008, Studio Gärtnerstrasse, Berlin, Germany. Song
texts included
PHOENIX EDITION 188 [64:03]
I discovered Amy Beach last year, when I heard a disc of her piano music played
by Kirsten Johnson - review.
Indeed, I was impressed enough to nominate that recording as one of my picks
for 2009, prompting me to seek out more of her output. This Phoenix disc is
particularly intriguing, not least because it features the Berlin-born soprano
Jörg Waschinski. Described in the CD booklet as a ‘counter-specialist’
he has already garnered much praise in Europe, not just in Baroque repertoire
but, less conventionally, in more modern roles usually assigned to female
sopranos. One such example is the part of Anna I, in Kurt Weill’s Seven
Deadly Sins.
Potential purchasers of this disc may already have some of these songs sung
by Emma Kirkby and others, but this new recital is more comprehensive than
most. I suspect the sticking point - if there is one - will be the presence
of a male soprano, whose distinctive vocal characteristics may not find universal
appeal. No such qualms about the Meininger Trio, who provide warmly sympathetic
support throughout, or about the recording, which is detailed and very well
balanced. Instrumentally, the opening song, ‘Chanson d’amour’,
is a model of clarity and line; vocally, though, the line is less assured,
and Waschinski’s diction is far from clear. That said, he has remarkable
range and does colour and his voice rather well.
‘Caprice’ and ‘Pastorale’ are the first of several
non-vocal pieces here, and they offer tantalising glimpses of the melodic
and harmonic confidence I first heard in Kirsten Johnson’s disc. Both
the playing and recording are beyond reproach. But this is essentially a vocal
recital, Waschinski suitably limpid in ‘Rendezvous’ and ‘Ecstasy’.
He is able to negotiate the higher notes with precision, although it’s
impossible to disguise the ‘gear changes’ as he soars ever higher.
Make no mistake, though, this is a phenomenal voice, and I can well imagine
it being put to spectacular use in Baroque repertoire.
Waschinski finds a wonderful sense of repose at the end of Oliver Wendell
Holmes’s ‘Hymn of Trust’, but in ‘The year’s
at the spring’, the first of the Op. 44 Browning songs, his undeniable
passion and vigour are undermined by poor articulation. By this time I had
adjusted to his unmistakable timbre, but I was also beginning to wish for
more light and shade. True, the lullaby ‘Sleep, little darling’
is most affecting, but I found myself listening more to Rainer Gepp’s
delectable piano playing. Indeed, I’d be keen to hear the latter in
Schubert, Schumann and Wolf, where his rhythmic sense and subtle phrasing
would be especially welcome.
‘Fairy lullaby’, the first of the Op. 37 Shakespeare settings,
is a sparky little tune, and Waschinski characterises it quite well, although
the swooning manner he adopts in ‘O mistress mine’ is much less
appealing. Wisely, perhaps, he takes a break for a while as the cello and
piano take over for ‘La captive’, ‘Berceuse’ and ‘Mazurka’.
And after admiring Gepp’s pianism I must commend Françoise Groben’s
elegant - and eloquent - cello playing, especially in the gentle ‘Berceuse’.
And it’s all enhanced by a fine, airy recording.
Waschinski calibrates the meltingly beautiful ‘After’ with great
sensitivity - listen to that long held note at the close - and one simply
has to marvel at the agility of his voice in ‘June’. That said,
the nature of his instrument and the range of these songs exposes an occluded
tone, especially under pressure, that doesn’t appeal to me at all. ’Stella
Viatoris’ does indeed push him too far, and for a brief moment he comes
perilously close to a squawk.
So, a somewhat frustrating recital redeemed by fine playing and resourceful
singing. One could argue that Waschinski just isn’t suited to this music,
but there are moments of real beauty here. No, the biggest problem for me
is poor diction, which robs these songs of their distinctive character. That’s
not to say Waschinski isn’t expressive - he most certainly is - but
that just isn’t enough in texts as wide-ranging as these. Full marks
to Phoenix Edition for providing the lyrics in English and German, but more
information about the songs themselves would have been useful.
An intriguing project, but ultimately rather disappointing.
Dan Morgan
Track listing
3 Songs, Op. 21 (1893)
No. 1 Chanson d'amour [5:57]
2 Songs, Op. 100 (1924)
No. 1 A Mirage [2:46]
Caprice (1921) [1:00]
Pastorale, Op. 151 (1942) [3:20]
Rendezvous, Op. 120 (1928) [4:46]
3 Songs, Op. 19 (1893)
No. 2 Ecstasy [2:07]
Hymn of Trust, Op. 13 (1891) [3:47]
3 Browning Songs, Op. 44 (1900)
No. 1 The year's at the spring [00:59]
No. 2 Ah, love but a day [2:55]
No. 3 I send my heart up to thee [3:05]
4 Songs, Op. 35 (1896)
No. 1 Nacht [2:09]
4 Songs, Op. 29 (1894)
No. 3 Sleep, little darling[4:03]
The rainy day (1880) [2:05]
2 Songs, Op. 73 (?1914)
No. 2 Der Totenkranz [2:39]
3 Shakespeare Songs, Op. 37 (excerpts) (1897)
No. 3 Fairy Lullaby [2:11]
No. 1 O mistress mine [2:33]
3 Compositions, Op. 40 (version for cello and piano) (1898)
No. 1 La captive [3:10]
No. 2 Berceuse [2:42]
No. 3 Mazurka [2:55]
After, Op. 68 (?1907) [3:31]
4 Songs, Op. 51 (?1903)
No. 3 June [2:03]
2 Songs, Op. 100 (1924)
No. 2 Stella Viatoris [3:20]