Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Liederkreis Op. 39 [26:59]
Sechs Gedichte aus dem Liederbuch eines Malers Op. 36 [15:59]
Liederkreis Op. 24 [21:30]
Gerald Finley (baritone)
Julius Drake (piano)
rec. Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk, 2-4 November 2011, 8 May 2012
HYPERION CDA67944 [64:20]
Gerald Finley gives us a very particular interpretation of Schumann’s
songs; namely weighty and serious. Finley’s voice is very beautiful
and he is capable of encompassing a huge variety of styles and tone. Here
he is primarily deep and authoritative, but this carries its own benefits.
He conveys a world of emotion through small variations in tone and timbre
and has a repeated ability to send a chill down the spine or to inflect a
phrase so as to suggest hitherto unsuspected meaning.
You see all of this at work in his interpretation of the Eichendorff Liederkreis
(Op. 39), and it’s interesting to compare his approach to that of his
recent Hans
Sachs which benefited from lightness of touch. Here the opposite is true:
he brings weight and depth to these songs which some may think weighs them
down a little too much. However, you can’t argue with the power that
he brings to songs like Auf einer Burg or Wehmut. It also allows
him to bring a new dimension to songs like In der Fremde (No. 8) or
Im Walde: these seem to tread the line between seriousness and levity,
but Finley leads us more quickly to the serious conclusion that the composer
makes obvious only in the final lines. Not everything is at this level of
seriousness, though. Die Stille is tripping and flighty in its take
on child-like happiness, helped enormously by Drake’s well tailored
accompaniment. The beautiful stillness of Mondnacht (“perhaps
the world’s loveliest vocal nocturne”, according to Richard Wigmore
in the booklet notes) is to die for; Finley tapers down his voice to a near
whisper at times, growing in strength as the song progresses, while Drake
surrounds him with repetitive chords that are almost hypnotic in their magic.
Schöne fremde builds gloriously, and the ebullient bliss
of Frühlingsnacht will win over all but the most cynical of listeners.
The Heine cycle, Op. 24, is just as varied and as effective. The two opening
songs find Schumann (and Finley) in outgoing mood, but Finley’s dark,
silken voice is perfect for the sentiments of lost love found in the third
song, while Drake’s highly sensitive accompaniment seems to circle around
the vocal line without ever quite meeting it. Likewise, the restless, trembling
piano line in Schöne Weige meiner Leiden is a brilliant illustrative
accompaniment to the poet’s aching sentiments of farewell. The seriousness
of Finley’s voice helps to lend extra weight to the sentiment of songs
like Berg’ und Burgen, and it brings remarkable intensity to
the brief, but extremely powerful subsequent song Anfangs wollt’
ich. Mit Myrthen und Rosen encompasses both the poet’s intensity
and the musician’s optimism, Finley and Drake summoning up the heights
of their artistry in a performance that is reflective and ambiguous, setting
the seal on the whole disc.
The Sechs Gedichte aus dem Liederbuch eines Malers (Six poems from
the songbook of a painter) were a discovery to me. They’re certainly
not as famous as the two Liederkreis sets, but I found them delightful.
The booklet notes go out of their way to point out the poor quality of the
poetry, but there’s something endearingly whimsical about them, and
Schumann’s music elevates them to something special. Sonntags am
Rhein combines optimistic patriotism with the tone of a hymn, while Ständchen
and Nichts Schöneres are lovely odes to Clara: the cycle was composed
when Robert and Clara’s marriage was all but certain. An dem Sonnenschein
is light-hearted nature painting, while Dichters Genesung is a bustling,
light-hearted song about the queen of the elves, which ends much more merrily
than most supernatural encounters. The culmination of the cycle, Liebesbotschaft,
is a solemn, serious message of love, which finds Finley a little stretched
on the top note on which the movement inexorably peaks, but it’s still
a lovely performance of a very fine song.
Finley’s tone may not appeal to everyone in this release, and some will
want more variety of sound. He perhaps lacks the universal expressiveness
of Fischer-Dieskau or the breezy lightness of Olaf Bär, still my overall
preference for the two Liederkreis settings, but he brings a weight
and intensity that is all his own. The recorded sound is lovely, though some
may think it captures Finley a little too closely to the detriment of the
piano sound.
Simon Thompson
Finley brings a weight and intensity that is all his own.
see also review by John Quinn