Gustav Mahler is the composer most closely identified with
the nineteenth-century collection of German folk poetry, Des
Knaben Wunderhorn. However this CD from Thomas Hampson
and Geoffrey Parsons is a welcome reminder that other important
composers turned to this collection for inspiration when writing
lieder. This same team subsequently recorded an important
collection of settings by Mahler alone (see review).
Here they include six of Mahler’s other Wunderhorn songs.
I think it’s right
that there are more settings included here by Mahler than
by any other composer for it was he who did more that anyone
to put Des Knaben Wunderhorn on the musical map, as
it were. For me, in this recital his settings are shown to
be the most consistently imaginative in their responses to
the texts.
The Mendelssohn
items, for example, are charming. However, it’s instructive
to contrast his ‘Jagdlied’ with Mahler’s ‘Scheiden und Meiden’.
I know that the two settings are separated by some fifty years,
during which time musical vocabulary and grammar had moved
on immensely. However, the Mendelssohn piece is a fairly conventional
strophic hunting song in compound time and that’s about it.
Mahler, however, shows how much more can be done with the
genre and he cleverly varies the rhythm and style within the
song, using a hunting rhythm only in those parts where it’s
completely appropriate.
Make no mistake,
however, the other Mendelssohn song, ‘Altdeutsches Frühlingslied’,
is quite delightful. It’s a lovely, lyrical inspiration. The
melody moves forward in long, graceful lines with a rippling
piano part underneath. One senses that Hampson and Parsons
are completely as one in this performance – though, to be
honest, that’s true throughout the disc.
The sole Schumann
offering is also delectable. It’s a simple, rather delicate
song for which Hampson lightens his voice admirably. It’s
logical to follow this with two settings by Schumann’s friend,
Brahms. Again, these songs are quite straightforward and direct
in style.
I enjoyed Loewe’s
‘Herr Oluf’ very much indeed. This is one of his ballads and
it might be described as “son of Erlkönig”. Indeed,
the story is that of a nobleman who encounters the daughter
of the Erl King while out riding on the eve of his wedding
and who is doomed as a consequence. Hampson narrates this
rather gothic tale vividly, especially where he characterises
the Erl King’s daughter.
Both of the Richard
Strauss items were new to me. ‘Himmelsboten’ is expansive
and wide-ranging. ‘Junggesellenschwur’ is a rather strange
setting, which calls for, and receives, lots of vocal characterisation
from Hampson. I must say I didn’t think this was one of the
best songs on the disc but Hampson does both it and its companion
well. The Schönberg song is a fairly early piece. It’s very
firmly rooted in the tradition of romantic lieder. It’s
a somewhat bitter, self-pitying poem but Hampson rather belies
that with a manly performance. There’s one song which I shan’t
be rushing to play again, I fear. Weber’s ‘Abendsegen’ is
a strophic song of no less than ten identical stanzas. The
basic idea is pleasant enough but nine repetitions strained
my tolerance a good deal.
I’ve mentioned
one Mahler song already. Of the remainder ‘Ablösung im Sommer’
will be familiar to anyone who knows the Third Symphony for
this song furnished the thematic material for the third movement
of the symphony. In ‘Nicht Wiedersehen!’, which is placed
eighth on the disc, Mahler plumbs greater emotional depths
than anything we’ve heard previously in this recital. Like
several other of his Wunderhorn settings it’s concerned with
death and a vein of tragic melancholy courses through this
song. ‘Ich ging mit Lust’ offers an excellent example of Hampson’s
superb technique on quiet high notes. This is an innocent,
gentle song and it’s exquisitely done here. ‘Zu Strassburg
auf der Schanz’’ finds Mahler once again exploring two of
his favourite Wunderhorn themes, soldiering and death. Hampson
puts across the drama of the song very convincingly and the
sadness and pathos of the concluding stanza is particularly
well conveyed.
This is another
very fine disc from Thomas Hampson and Geoffrey Parsons. Theirs
is a true creative partnership and the insightful playing
of Parsons consistently gives great pleasure. Hampson is in
sovereign voice throughout and it would take far more space
than is available here to list examples of his subtleties
and refinements. The listener can just revel in the sound
of an intelligent singer at the height of his very considerable
powers.
Warner Classics
provide decent documentation. The notes don’t tell us as much
about the individual songs as I’d like but the full texts
are supplied in English, French and German. Happily the excellent
performances are reported in sound that’s worthy of them.
John Quinn
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Thomas Hampson (baritone);
Geoffrey Parsons (piano)
