Gustav MAHLER (1860 – 1911)
Complete Wunderhorn Songs
see end of review for track listing
Dietrich Henschel (baritone), Boris Berezovsky (piano)
rec. De Doelen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 25-26 May, 24 September 2012
Sung texts enclosed but no translations
EPR CLASSIC EPRC 013 [74:04]
Contrary to what Amazon says in an editorial note to this issue Mahler’s
Wunderhorn songs are not rare to find in recitals and recordings.
That said, to have all twenty-three collected on one CD with such a discriminating
singer as Dietrich Henschel is truly great. Although they are not strictly
speaking a song cycle there are things that knit them together: war and
love for instance are recurrent themes. In toto Mahler set 24
Wunderhorn texts, though some of them were worked into his symphonies.
Of these Das himmlichen Leben was never conceived as a song with
piano accompaniment, and thus it was excluded from the present collection.
Das himmlichen Leben is known to most Mahler lovers as the final
movement of his fourth symphony.
We fairly often hear many, though far from all of them, in orchestral
garb, but the piano parts Mahler wrote are highly expressive on their
own. One could even argue that the colourful orchestral settings seem
to reduce the impact of the song-lines.
Dietrich Henschel is one of the most important German-speaking Lied interpreters
since another Dietrich, Fischer-Dieskau, left the arena. He possesses
many of the older singer’s finest characteristics: a beautiful and
expressive voice, intelligent treatment of the texts, an ability to colour
the voice according to the requirements of the poems and a personality
that catches the listener’s attention and keeps the interest. Every
phrase, every accent has a direction and intention.
Most of these songs have been good old friends for several decades and
they can be sung in many different ways. In fact, having been listening
to Henschel throughout the 74+ minutes of this disc I have come to the
conclusion that they can’t be better interpreted. Differently and
qualitatively possibly just as good – but not better.
I won’t tire you with 2000 words of panegyrics, but at least I’ll
pick some examples that show the differences between the songs and how
well Mr Henschel differentiates them. Revelge, for instance,
is the perfect opening, a rousing vitamin injection that brings the soldiers
out in the field and causes the listener to sit up and inhale the morning
air. What vitality, what rhythmic spring. Both singer and pianist are
close to ecstasy. One sits there in a daze.
Rheinlegendchen on the contrary, is open-air folksong, inspired
lightness. Dietrich Henschel finds the right natural quality - simple
but not artless. Ich ging mit Lust, one of my old favourites,
is so beautiful, sung with delicate nuances. In Scheiden und Meiden
he is outgoing and intense but never goes over the top. Boris Berezovsky
is one of the great piano virtuosos of our time and here he is not
the discreet ‘Am I too loud?’ accompanist but the motor behind
everything. He drives Dietrich Henschel before him and generates new energy.
Listen for example to his playing in Verlor’ne Müh’
(tr. 10). Not for a second does one long for the orchestra. Berezovsky
is an orchestra. Every song here stands out as a masterpiece
and though they ideally should be divided between one male and one female
singer, Henschel characterizes and catches the individuality of each of
them, so we feel he is several interpreters.
If forced to pick one song as the most outstanding — some newspaper
reviewers have to make this often impossible choice — I would cheat
and say that the four last songs form an unbreakable unit. There’s
the lovely Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?, the beautiful Wo
die schönen Trompeten blasen, Lob des hohen Verstandes with
the superbly swinging piano as an extra bonus, and the utterly moving
Urlicht. This brings the cycle — I do accept the cyclic
idea when presented so attractively — to an inward contemplative
conclusion:
Oh red rose!
Man lies in deepest need,
Man lies in deepest pain.
Yes, rather would I be in heaven!
I came upon a broad pathway:
An angel came and wanted to send me away.
Ah no! I would not be sent away!
Ah no, I would not be sent away!
I am from God and will return to God.
The dear God, the dear God
Will give me a light,
Will light me to eternal blessed life!
(Translation by Deryck Cooke)
I only wish the excellent liner-notes by Stefan Grondelaers and Dietrich
Henschel had not been printed in yellow against a dark-green background.
The song texts are more legible in black print against golden background
but it is a pity that flashy design seems to overrule information.
This is however my only grumble about this issue. Dietrich Henschel and
Boris Berezovsky have guided us in masterly fashion towards the Mahlerian
eternal life and we can only be grateful to have had the opportunity to
wander in their company.
Göran Forsling
Track listing
1. Revelge [5:40]
2. Rheinlegendchen [2:36]
3. Starke Einbildungskraft [1:09]
4. Ich ging mit Lust durch einen grünen Wald [3:32]
5. Scheiden und Meiden [2:13]
6. Der Schildwache Nachtlied [4:51]
7. Aus! Aus! [1:45]
8. Zu Strassburg auf der Schanz‘ [4:10]
9. Lied des Verfolgten im Turm [4:02]
10. Verlor’ne Müh‘ [2:22]
11. Selbstgefühl [1:34]
12. Trost im Unglück [2:29]
13. Der Tamboursg’sell [5:51]
14. Ablösung im Sommer [1:30]
15. Das irdische Leben [2:37]
16. Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt [3:30]
17. Um schlimme Kinder artig zu machen [1:41]
18. Nicht wiedersehen! [4:33]
19. Es sungen drei Engel einen süssen Gesang [3:18]
20. Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht? [2:03]
21. Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen [5:48]
22. Lob des hohen Verstandes [2:23]
23. Urlicht [4:19]
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