SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Schumann, Brahms, Wolf :  Christine Schäfer (soprano); Graham Johnson (piano). Wiigmore Hall, 28.2. 2008 (CC)


As so often with Christine Schäfer, intelligent programming went hand-in-glove with wonderful music-making (try her recent disc of Purcell and Crumb as further evidence of this). The presence of Graham Johnson as recital partner (as opposed to mere accompanist) made this an occasion to savour.

Schäfer bookended her evening's offerings with settings from Goethe's Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre by two composers – Schumann and Wolf. The Schumann, which opened procedings, was five Lieder from Lieder und Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister, Op. 98a (1849). Schäfer's excellent breath control meant that she could give these songs the space they require. The exquisute tenderness of 'So lasst mich scheinen' was possibly the highlight, with Johnson's hesitant accompaniment perfectly underlining the atmosphere. The delicious harmonic ambiguity of 'Nur wer die Sehnsucht kommt' was another highpoint, while Schäfer impressed by her structural understanding of the final, 'Kennst di das Land', presented as a songle crescendo of intensity.

The Brahms Op. 57 set of eight Lieder und Gesänge dates from 1867-71. Both interpreters added detectable warmth to their tones for these tricky songs. The first has a tricky piano part (expertly despatched by Johnson), while Schäfer's pitching was ultra-accurate. Beauty was paramount in the second song,  'Wenn du nur zuweilen lächelst', while the fourth, 'Ach, wende diesen Blick', was a study in contrasts – specifically, from the soaring 'das heisee Blut' to the more intimate 'Ein Strahl'.

These two sets meant a short first part to the recital – a mere 38 minutes – but one that came fully stocked with moments of beauty and revelation. Brahms started the second part of the recital, too, with a sequence merely programmed as 'Mädchenlieder' ('Songs of young girls'). The songs in question were settings of poetry by Paul Heyse, Siegfried Kapper and Otto Friedrich Gruppe, extracted from various opuses. Schäfer proved herself in conveying affecting simplicity (Op. 85/3). Her implied inhale by injecting a touch of breath to her voice at the outset of Op. 107/5 was notable, as was her invokation of the sinister in 'Mädchenfluch', Op. 69/9.

The final set of songs reminded one just what a magnificent, and unpredictable, composer Hugo Wolf was. 'Philine' found Schäfer thoroughly enjoying the conceits of the text, but it was in the profundities of Mignon I ('Heiss mich nicht reden') where she was in her element, projecting its prayer-like basis to perfection (and what an effect Johnson's stark inter-stanza octaves made!). Mignon III was a floated moment of harmonically-suspended time, only slightly blighted by a hint of strain in the lower part of Schäfer's register. The final programmed item, Mignon IV ('Kennst du das Land') saw Schäfer and Johnson unfold a lemon-blossom laden paradise while invoking a huge sense of space. Interestingly, the piano tremolandi could only come from Wolf (the effect is traditionally linked to Liszt).

Schäfer's diction is truly miraculous. While it was good to take note of Kate Royal's improvements in this area in her recent Wigmore recital, Schäfer acted as a reminder of just what a difference expert word projection makes.

There were two encores, both Wolf. Schäfer announced the title, while Johnson gave a brief resulme of the song. The account of 'Auf ein altes Bild' from Möricke-Lieder will resonate long in my mind.

Colin Clarke

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