It’s fair to say that in lieder terms Thomas Hampson is to
Mahler what Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was to Schubert - and was,
in his time, to Mahler as well. Hampson owns Mahler’s
songs, with numerous recordings and performances, dating back
to those with Leonard Bernstein. Hampson has recorded the Knaben
Wunderhorn songs a number of times, including one disc of
original piano versions, with Geoffrey
Parsons, and a DVD
of a live performance of the songs, recorded in 2002. Hampson
seems to want constantly to revisit this wonderful collection
of songs - not a song-cycle as such, but rather a group of poems
that Mahler set to music over a period of ten years - exploring
the many possibilities they offer.
In this version, after recording discs with orchestral and piano
accompaniment, Hampson chooses a chamber orchestra, consisting
of a “core group” of a dozen musicians made up of principals
from the Vienna Philharmonic; though at times there are more
musicians than that. The tone this provides is lighter than
a full orchestra, yet still packs the oomph necessary for songs
such as Revelge, which call for a powerful presence among
the instruments. For other songs, they can provide a subtler
sound, as in Der Tambourg’sell, where the orchestral
voices come through like individual brush-strokes in a larger
canvas. Strings sound solitary, the oboe sounds lonely and heartbroken,
and the horns’ plaintive calls resound against a desolate landscape.
Hampson, in a video available on YouTube,
presents this project, pointing out that Mahler often spoke
of a chamber orchestra accompanying these songs, to have a tighter
“dialog” between the instruments and the singer. The orchestra
achieves that type of integration with the voice, and the excellent
recording maintains an ideal balance and spaciousness.
To say that Hampson’s performance on this disc is nearly flawless
would, in part, betray my subjective appreciation for his interpretation
of Mahler songs. It’s hard to imagine any baritone today with
the same amount of experience of performing this music, but
also deep knowledge of these songs. Hampson is both a scholar
and a singer, and while his academic approach may, at times,
keep him at arm’s length from the deeper feelings of the music,
this is not the case with these songs. You can hear how he gives
his all in every song, and how well he makes each song a miniature
tone poem together with the chamber orchestra.
On its own merits, this is an astounding recording of the Knaben
Wunderhorn songs. There is also the personal aspect of how
much a listener appreciates a given voice. I have always liked
Hampson, so this new recording is, to me, nearly perfect. Others
who don’t like his voice should still listen to his unique approach
on this disc. There is no shortage of fine recordings of these
works, including Fischer-Dieskau’s excellent CD with Daniel
Barenboim (piano), or the wonderful orchestral recording by
Anne-Sofie von Otter and Thomas Quasthoff, with Claudio Abbado
conducting. That said, Hampson’s new recording offers a unique
approach.
Kirk McElhearn
Thomas Hampson (baritone) 
