Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Schwanengesang D957 [48:06]; Schwanengesang No. 1 D318 [3:49]; Schwanengesang
No. 2 D744 [2:22]; Herbst D945 [3:10]; Sehnsucht D636 [3:55]
Dominik Wörner (bass-baritone); Christoph Hammer (piano)
rec. Musikhaus Marthashofen, Grafrath, 25-28 October 2009
German text included
ARS PRODUCTION ARS 38 494 CD [61:41] 
Schubert’s Swan Song was given that name by Tobias Haslinger, its first publisher,
after the composer’s death. Whether it was intended as a set and, if so, the
order in which the songs were intended to be sung, must remain unanswered
in the absence of any specific guidance from the composer. What we have now
consists essentially of two groups of songs, by the poets Ludwig Rellstab
and Heinrich Heine respectively, and a single song (Die Taubenpost)
to a text by Johann Gabriel Seidl. In this recording the two main groups are
separated by the single song and by Sehnsucht, to a text by Schiller,
and the programme as a whole begins and ends with the two unrelated songs
to which Schubert did give the name Schwanengesang.
There is some sensible and effective re-ordering of the two main groups but
the disc’s main attractions are the very personal and intelligent approach
of the singer, Dominik Wörner, and the use of a fortepiano from the exact
time of the cycle’s composition by Conrad Graf of Vienna. The latter is in
every way a complete success, not only for its sheer beauty of tone but mainly
for the extraordinary clarity with which the texture can be heard. Even in
Der Atlas, the heaviest of the songs, all of the notes can be heard
in a way that is seldom possible with modern instruments. This is perhaps
not entirely a gain in this song, where there is a lack of the kind of raw
power exhibited by the best artists using modern instruments. This applies
also to Dominik Wörner’s singing as well. Atlas was the quintessential weightlifter,
and most baritones singing the song with his name are able to suggest this
power. I suspect that Dominik Wörner could do so too but chooses not to, and
the result is some reduction in the heroic quality of the song. On the other
hand perhaps he is closer to the spirit of the poem, which speaks of a man
more breaking with grief than standing up under it. Elsewhere his singing
is usually lighter than usual, more suited to a salon than a concert hall
and well matched to the imaginative playing of Christoph Hammer. This intimate
approach, coupled with great care over the words and very well recorded, makes
for a very compelling whole. Songs such as Der Stadt and Der Doppelgänger
are in some ways even more terrifying as a result of this intimate approach.
The presentation of the disc is very full, with useful essays and the full
German text, but lacks an English translation of the latter although there
are translations of the essays. This is a serious lack which may reduce the
disc’s appeal for some potential purchasers. This would be a pity as it has
much to offer as a coherent, well considered and thoroughly fresh performance.
John Sheppard
A coherent, well considered and thoroughly fresh performance.