Of the more than two hundred songs that Brahms composed there
are relatively few that are really well known. Wiegenlied
is the one everyone knows and it is atypical of his production
at large. His songs are always well crafted and due to his strong
self-criticism he never published anything that he felt unsatisfactory.
That said, few of the songs are of the immediate, easy accessible
character evinced by those of Schubert, Schumann and Mendelssohn.
By contrast, few people, I imagine, will be walking about humming
Brahms’ songs. The sombre character of many of his songs
can be a bit forbidding but deeper acquaintance with them pays
dividends.
This disc, the fourth in a projected complete series, is rather
typical. The second song is entitled Schwermut (Melancholy)
and that could be the title of the whole disc. Graham Johnson
- the mastermind behind this project - and Robert Holl have
selected songs from the latter half of Brahms’ life. An
die Nachtigall, the earliest of them, was written in 1868
when Brahms was 35. Today a 35-year-old is a young person but
I suspect Brahms regarded himself as at least middle-aged. Focusing
on low-lying settings to suit the bass voice there is further
weightiness to the whole recital. Let me at once modify this
by adding that Holl, here approaching his mid-sixties, is still
a flexible and nuanced singer with the ability to lighten the
tone when appropriate. In spite of a long operatic career with
often heavy roles - he has been a regular at Bayreuth since
1996 - the voice is largely unscathed and the tone noble. Occasionally
he squeezes the tone so there is a bulge in the middle which
endangers the legato. It’s noticeable in O kühler
Wald (tr. 9) for instance. That is very much the exception
to the rule.
As in the previous volumes in the series this disc ‘takes
a journey through Brahms’s career’, as Graham Johnson
puts it in his extensive booklet notes. There he also argues
that Brahms not necessarily intended the songs within an opus
group to be performed as a unit. Picking and choosing the songs
that suit the singer’s voice and mentality is no doubt
very rational. That’s what we often encounter in song
recitals. On the other hand an encyclopaedic project like this
one would be easier to use for reference purposes; that’s
just a private reflection. There are also two complete opus
groups included: Fünf Lieder für eine tiefe Singstimme
und Klavier, Op. 94 (tr. 12-16) and Vier ernste Gesänge,
Op. 121. The latter is almost invariably performed as a unit
and must be ranked as one of the finest groups of songs in the
whole repertoire. My first recording of these songs was with
Kathleen Ferrier (1950) and later I added another classic, Hans
Hotter (1951). I also have a soft spot for Kim Borg (1959) and
Erik Saedén (1976).
I should just mention in passing that Erik Saedén was
born in 1924, made his debut at the Royal Opera in Stockholm
in 1952 and at his retirement in 1981 had taken part in 2084
performances in more than 160 operas. He went on singing and
his last performance, in a Stockholm church, was on 1 November
2009, two days before he passed away.
Sampling the old-time favourites listed above confirmed that
they have all stood the test of time. They differ in details
of interpretation, very little in tempos - that is, Saedén
is almost a whole minute slower in the last song,Wenn ich
mit Menschen- und mit Engelzungen redete and the same goes
for Robert Holl. Replaying the song in its entirety several
times I realized that this is no serious drawback. Brahms wanted
the song Andante con moto et anima and even though Holl’s
timing hardly suggests con moto I wasn’t aware
of the difference when just listening. The intensity and weight
of his reading fully justifies the tempo though at this stage
in his career the strain is obvious. Both Hotter and Saedén
are more willing to sing really softly and both enunciate the
text with superb clarity, Saedén in particular (*). There
is no lack of nuance in Holl’s reading and by and large
this is a version of Vier ernste Gesänge that should
satisfy even the most discriminating listener. It should be
noted that Holl studied with Hotter in the early 1970s.
The Op. 94 songs are also a well integrated unit and could,
in the words of Graham Johnson, be seen ‘as a kind of
mini-cycle’. Brahms’ friend Billroth regarded it
as ‘a kind of equivalent to Schubert’s Winterreise.
Individually the fourth of the songs, Sapphische Ode,
is often heard and recorded - I learnt this too through Kathleen
Ferrier’s recording - but they are all very satisfying,
not least the melodically enticing Steig auf, geliebter Schatten
and the concluding Kein Haus, keine Heimat, Brahms’
shortest song.
The three Heimweh songs (tr. 4-6) are part of Op. 63
which comprises nine songs. The middle of the three, O wüsst
ich doch den Weg zurück, is the best known, and it
is sung with exquisite feeling for nuance. The other two are
well worth hearing too. The beautiful Wie Melodien zieht
es (tr. 18), written in 1886 for Hermine Spies, is sung
in the original key, which reveals that she had a really deep
contralto. Before the Vier ernste Lieder Holl temporarily
disperses the melancholy with the light-hearted Auf dem See
and the rather brusque folksong-like Maienkätzchen,
with which Fischer-Dieskau used to end his Brahms recitals.
Hyperion’s ever-growing catalogue of song recordings is
a veritable goldmine for Lieder lovers. Another valuable addition
to the catalogue, featuring one of the most important Lieder
singers of the last few decades. Graham Johnson’s capacity
as accompanist has long been well known. He is the ever-flexible
partner in what is a duo of equal merits.
A small but confusing error in the otherwise admirable booklet
is worth mentioning. The track-numbers for the last six songs
are wrong, since number 19 has been omitted. On the back of
the booklet and the back-cover of the jewel-case everything
is correct. So don’t let this little blemish deter anyone
from enjoying the great merits of this recording.
Göran Forsling
alternatively
CD: MDT
AmazonUK
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Track listing
1. An die Nachtigall, Op. 46 No. 4 [3:26]
2. Schwermut, Op. 58 No. 5 [2:41]
3. Dein blaues Auge, Op. 59 No. 8 [2:04]
4. Heimweh I: Wie traulich war das Fleckchen, Op 63 No.
7 [2:54]
5. Heimweh II: O wüsst ich doch den Weg zurück,
Op. 63 No. 8 [3:45]
6. Heimweh III: Ich sah als Knabe Blumen blühn,
Op. 63 No. 9 [3:15]
7. Alte Liebe, Op. 72 No. 1 [3:50]
8. Sommerfäden, Op. 72 No. 2 [2:41]
9. O kühler Wald, Op. 72 No. 3 [2:08]
10. Verzagen, Op. 72 No. 4 [3:12]
11. Todessehnen, Op. 86 No. 6 [5:09]
12. Mit vierzig Jahren, Op. 94 No. 1 [3:59]
13. Steig auf, geliebter Schatten, Op. 94 No. 2 [2:33]
14. Mein Herz ist schwer, Op. 94 No. 3 [2:30]
15. Sapphische Ode, Op. 94 No. 4 [2:30]
16. Kein Haus, keine Heimat, Op. 94 No. 5 [0:39]
17. Komm bald, Op. 97 No. 5 [2:39]
18. Wie Melodien, Op. 105 No. 1 [2:25]
19. Auf dem See, Op. 106 No. 2 [3:13]
20. Maienkätzchen, Op. 107 No. 4 [1:20]
Vier ernste Gesänge, Op. 121 [19:01]
21. Denn es gehet dem menschen [4:50]
22. Ich wandte mich, und sahe an alle [4:16]
23. O Tod, wie bitter bist du [3:52]
24. Wenn ich mit Menschen- und mit Engelzungen redete
[6:01]
Robert Holl (bass-baritone), Graham Johnson (piano) 