Carl Loewe, one year
Schubert’s senior and surviving him
by more than forty years, was a prolific
composer. More than 600 Lieder and Ballads
stemmed from his pen, so he can challenge
Schubert on quantity in that respect.
Whether the quality is on the same level
as Schubert’s output is another matter.
Enormously popular in his day, also
as a singer, much of his oeuvre sunk
into oblivion, but a handful of his
songs, several of them settings of Goethe,
has survived. A handful of great singers
have regularly performed them. The last
time I heard Hermann Prey he sang Loewe
and he has also recorded them. Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau recorded at least three
LPs for DG and another, late in his
career, for Teldec. I have them all
and, replaying them once in a while,
I’m always stunned by the level of invention
and sheer professionalism. It is true
that some of his longer ballads outstay
their welcome but as a whole Loewe’s
songs are a treasure trove well worth
prospecting. CPO’s ongoing project to
record his complete output is to be
applauded. Having reached volume 20
the goal should be within reach. Like
the corresponding Hyperion and Naxos
Schubert projects they wisely employ
many different singers but the common
denominator is the versatile Cord Garben
as pianist. It is right to label him
‘pianist’ and not accompanist, since
the piano part in many of Loewe’s songs
is just as important and independent
as it is in Schubert. He contributes
greatly to the overall excellence of
this disc - and I suppose to the whole
series, but I haven’t heard more than
one or two earlier issues and feel urgent
need to catch up.
The singer here is
tenor Robert Wörle, who is equipped
with a bright and flexible voice. Under
pressure it adopts a whining quality
that can be quite expressive but occasionally
becomes a source of irritation when
the singer exceeds his natural limits.
It is no surprise to read in the booklet
that Mime in Siegfried is one of his
operatic parts. I once saw him in Weill’s
Mahagonny in Paris, where he
made quite an impression, characterisation
being a strong suit. As befits a Brecht/Weill
singer his tone can sometimes sound
raw and insufficiently supported. His
runs are a bit four-square and the open,
uncovered sound that he employs can
be uncomfortable on the ear. He can
also produce a beautiful soft half-voice.
Even though his singing is a matter
of swings and roundabouts, his enthusiasm
and his sensitivity to the texts make
this a worthwhile addition to the catalogue.
Even more worthwhile
are the songs, none of which I can ever
recall hearing before. There is one
Goethe setting, Mahomet’s Gesang
(track 2), one of around forty which
is more of a dramatic scena. It is seven
minutes long, originally intended as
the highpoint in a never written drama.
Even longer is another highlight, Johann
von Nepomuk, (track 4) and the longest
is track 9, Das Glockenspiel der
Phantasie, playing for more than
twelve minutes. The rest of the songs
are of more "normal" length,
a couple of them less than a minute
long. Die Heldenbraut (track
6) is dramatically high-strung with
a stormy accompaniment. The vocal part
almost touches upon Helden-Tenor territory
and Wörle meets the requirements
admirably. Wohin, o Seele wirst du
eilen? (track 8) has a folk-like
beauty; Loewe is very apt at writing
simple but catchy tunes. There are no
hidden masterpieces here. On the other
hand all the songs have their attractions
and listened to in small doses they
are agreeable. The execution may not
always be ideal but one gets used to
Wörle’s methods. In the end he
won me over through his obvious affection
for the music. The booklet has a valuable
essay on the songs by Annika Stawe and
we get full texts and translation. CPO
have excellent production values and
the recording is state-of-the-art with
a realistic balance between singer and
piano. Newcomers to Loewe should start
with some of the earlier volumes and
cherry-pick there but well-stocked listeners
with a taste for off-the-beaten-track
romantic songs will find much to enjoy
here.
Göran Forsling
Robert Wörle (tenor), Cord Garben (piano)
