Urlicht
Alois Mühlbacher (countertenor)
Franz Farnberger (piano)
rec. 2021, Studio Weinberg, Germany
Sung texts enclosed but no translations
Reviewed as downloaded from press preview
ARS PRODUKTION ARS38613 [70]
Austrian countertenor Alois Mühlbacher, aged 27, has already a long career behind him, first as boy soprano, and when his voice broke he seamlessly continued singing in his present pitch. He made his debut at the Vienna State Opera when he was 15 and has appeared frequently internationally. Both as soprano and countertenor it was natural for him to encompass the baroque repertoire, but step by step he has widened his scope, not least to German Lieder, and on the present disc he dives headlong into the great late-romantics, Mahler and Richard Strauss. Whether this was a wise decision, remains to evaluate. I would have thought that Schubert and Schumann could have been a better starting point. However, I started listening without preconception, and the first song, Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen, with its text inspired by Des Knaben Wunderhorn, which was the source for most of his early songs, was a pleasant surprise. I noted with great delight the beauty of his voice, his nuanced, relaxed reading and the natural declamation of the text. He is far from the over-explicit word-painting that sometimes Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau could give way to. I am less convinced by Urlicht, the Wunderhorn text that Mahler incorporated in his second symphony. Not the singing in itself, but the suitability of his voice for this music. It requires a darker, fuller, gloomier contralto sound to bring out the pain of the text: “Der Mensch liegt in grösster Not,
Der Mensch liegt in grösster Pein …”
I have the same feeling about the five Rückert songs that round off the well-filled disc. I have only praise for his sensitive and beautiful singing in Ich atmet einen linden Duft and Liebst du um Schönheit, and the lively Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder, but Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen and Um Mitternacht lack the serious weight of a Janet Baker or a Christa Ludwig. Alois Mühlbacher certainly darkens the tone in both songs, and at the climax of Um Mitternacht he gathers momentum and impresses with the not inconsiderable power of his basically light voice – but the real depth eludes him. Still I must repeat: the singing – as pure singing – is admirable.
If we go to the Richard Strauss songs – which occupy more than two thirds of the disc – he seems more on his home ground. Strauss wrote many of his songs with his soprano wife, Pauline, in mind, and that’s a lighter voice more in tune with Alois Mühlbacher’s. By all means, the four songs from his Opus 10 were composed before he met Pauline and Die erwachte Rose is the work of a 16-year-old boy. The song is a good example of Strauss’s precocious excellence and is sung here disarming simplicity. It should certainly be heard more often. All the other songs are well-known. The Opus 10 songs, Allerseelen, Nichts, Die Nacht and Zueignung are also works from his relative youth. He had just turned twenty when they were published. Allerseelen in particular is one of his best songs and shows a remarkable maturity.
Traum durch die Dämmerung is another masterwork. It was one of my earliest Strauss songs – next to Morgen! – that I became closely acquainted with in my youth. It was the old recording with Heinrich Schlusnus, and it is still the version that rings in my head when I hear the song and I know exactly where the click was on the old LP. When I replaced it with a CD I was disappointed that there was no click! On Alois Mühlbacher’s recording there is no click either and his reading differs a lot from Schlusnus’- but it is just as valid. As a matter of fact, Mühlbacher was much closer in age to Strauss when he composed the song, than Schlusnus was when he recorded it. The youthfulness and freshness of the readings are in fact striking throughout the disc, and this doesn’t exclude a great deal of warmth. Listen to Du meines Herzens Krönelein, to hear what I mean. Do also lend an ear to Waldseligkeit and admire his excellent legato. Everything is beautifully sung with feeling and Franz Farnberger’s accompaniments are excellent. Possibly one could wish some more individuality; there is a feeling of sameness – but that is also the result of listening to the whole programme – 70 minutes – in one sitting. For readers with a limited knowledge of German, the lack of translations can be a drawback, but they can easily be found online.
In spite of my reservations concerning the Mahler songs, this is a highly attractive disc, and I look forward to future recordings with this talented singer.
Göran Forsling
Contents
Gustav Mahler
Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen
Urlicht
Lieder nach Friedrich Rückert
Richard Strauss
Die erwachte Rose
Ruhe, meine Seele
Allerseelen
Traum durch die Dämmerung
Ich trage meine Minne
Nichts
Ach weh mir unglückhaften Mann
Du meines Herzens Krönelein
All mein Gedanken
Die Nacht
Waldseligkeit
Das Rosenband
Zueignung
Morgen!
