This is the second
of Naxos’s discs with Wolfgang Holzmair.
It was recorded at the same time as
its companion (Naxos8.557568
) but is issued separately; I’m
not sure why. This pair of discs is
head and shoulders better than the rest
of the series. They are most certainly
worthy of being marketed as a stand-alone
one day, and the choice of material
is unusual. Naxos is onto something
with Holzmair. His career has not been
quite as spectacular as some of his
contemporaries, despite his being well
respected as an artist. Someone at Naxos
should really think about doing a joint
venture with him. Since his interests
lie in enterprising, unusual repertoire,
particularly by Austrian composers,
it would be a project that might benefit
them both..
As with the earlier
disc, this one features poets of the
Göttingen Hainbund, Matthias Claudius,
Ludwig Hölty and Leopold Graf zu
Stolberg. They took their inspiration
from a long Klopstock poem in which
three poets discuss ancient Greece,
Teutonic legend, art, poetry and the
natural world. Their vision was to create
an idealized poetry that would integrate
the noble philosophy of the past with
a rapturous love of Nature. In this
music, Schubert is harking back to the
classical, idealized image of eighteenth
century Arcadia. He sets the long strophic
lines of the poetry with simple elegance
– there is no passionate 19th
century anguish here. Much could perhaps
be made of the pianoforte, but anyone
familiar with the large body of Schubert’s
music already available transcribed
for the instrument might consider that
a non-issue. This isn’t Winterreise,
after all - though the pianoforte version
of that cycle by Staier and Prégardien
is wonderful, creative and controversial.
Eisenlohr’s playing here is bright and
straightforward, in perfect harmony
with the nature of the songs, which
are naturally more in accord with the
texts which hover between the Classical
and the early Romantic.
What makes this recording
is the quality of the singing. Holzmair’s
airy, lyrical style is just right. Both
the first and second versions of Zufriedenheit
are here, Holzmair adjusting his approach;
each one slightly different. The first
version he sings with warm geniality,
the second with slightly more formality.
After all, the message is a carefree
"Was gibt’s mir Geld und Ehr?"
(what do I need of gold and honours).
Later, the genre song Klage um Ali
Bey is a perfect vehicle for showing
Holzmair’s gifts. He reflects the protagonist’s
steady footsteps, themselves reflected
in the rhythms of the piano part. He
colours the repeated phrase, first firmly,
then gently, with great effect. The
refrain "Mensch und Krokodil",
has droll charm, in accord with the
setting, if not the gruesome story behind
the poem.
The discovery on this disc is the soprano
Birgid Steinberger. She’s an experienced
singer, but again one whose career has
not had major recognition. Her voice
is clear and pure, yet filled with sweetness
and warmth. Listen to the way she sings
the phrase "weiss und zierlich,
zart und kraus " in Das
Lied vom Reifen – she really "is"
white and dainty, tender and decorative.
It’s possible to do a direct comparative
listening between Steinberger and Eisenlohr
with the famous recording with Argenta
and Melvyn Tan (also with fortepiano),
made some fifteen years ago. Tan, who
was a great fortepianist, plays more
slowly and with more restraint, making
the most of his piano’s delicacy. Argenta’s
bell-like tones beautifully shape the
pattern of the phrase liegt und schläft
an meinem Herzen. In the final line,
"singt mir den Amor nicht wach",
she soars magnificently on "Amor."
It’s unfair to compare Steinberger with
Argenta , who is an infinitely more
polished singer with a far greater range.
The real contrast is between Tan and
Eisenlohr, whose dominant, solid style
is so very different from Tan’s. Eisenlohr
may produce a brighter sound, but it’s
at the expense of Tan’s chromatic lyricism
which celebrates the instrument’s subtle
character. Tan and Argenta together
are an unbeatable combination, showing
just how wonderful the combination of
high voice and fortepiano can be in
Schubert. However, since that recording
is not nearly as easily available as
this one, the Naxos version will get
a bigger audience.
Anne Ozorio
see also reviews
by Goran
Forsling and Christopher
Howell
BUY
NOW
AmazonUK
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For reviews of other releases in this series,
see the Naxos
Deutsche Schubert-Lied Edition page
Wolfgang Holzmair (baritone), Birgid Steinberger
(soprano), Ulrich Eisenlohr (fortepiano) 
