Search - Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Alban Berg, Hugo [Composer] Wolf :: Christianne Stotijn performs works by Schubert, Berg & Wolf

For lieder lovers, a must!

vocalis accompanius | 06/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those of you who love German lieder and are looking for fresh interpretations of these classics, look no further. Christianne Stotijn has provided us with an exceptional CD of Schubert, Berg, and Wolf songs. The voice is a beautiful, clear, and radiant mezzo, with a remarkable interpretative artistry reminiscent of an Elizabeth Schwarzkopf or a Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Her legato phrasing and pacing are most beautiful in Schubert's 'An den Mond' and 'Nacht und Traume' and Wolf's 'Um Mitternacht'; her story-telling abilities are compelling in Schubert's 'Der Zwerg' and Wolf's 'Elfenlied'; she convinces that a woman's voice CAN create the colors required to project the fearful poetry and passion of Schubert's setting of 'Erlkonig'; the Berg '4 Lieder' have not been sung better. The theme of the CD, "Phantasien und Traumgestalten," provides Ms. Stotijn many opportunities to take us into her world of German "Fantasies and dream-figures" -- over 60 minutes of music. Her remarkable collaborative pianist, Joseph Breinl, is an equal partner in artistry. Recommend at the highest level."

A remarkable Lieder debut

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ms. Stotijn, a young Dutch mezzo who has come udner the tutelage of the great Janet Baker, possesses the same keen dramtic instincts as Dame Janet. To be able to inhabit a song emotionally and then project it directly to an audience are the gifts that make a genuine Lieder singer. Stotijn is in full comand throughout, and her voice has a thrilling edge. Only a fast beat that turns wobbly under pressure gives cause for doubt. In every other respect she's a fully formed artist, reminiscent of the young Kathleen Ferrier in her ability to move the heart. I am very enthusiastic. The varied program of Schubert, Berg, and Wolf is strong in each department, but perhaps it's the Schubert songs, sung in a big, dramatic style a la Jesseye Norman, that excited me the most."

Radiant Natural and Supernatural Forces

Jerry Floyd | Washington, D.C. USA | 09/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Supernatural beings, gloomy forests, a mysterious lake, the sea, wind, stars, a glittering moon, and a radiant sun infuse this album of nature portraits and life and death by mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn and pianist Joseph Breinl. "This music means a lot to us, I hope it goes from heart to heart," Stotijn has said about this recording. Indeed the Dutch mezzo and her Bavarian accompanist produce an evocative, performance of haunting, dream-like songs by Schubert, Berg, and Wolf.



Several Schubert songs -- "Im Walde (Waldesnacht)" and "Erkonig" for instance -- are frequently performed in lieder recitals. But rarely are they performed so plaintively or with such passion. Another song, "Der Zwerg", about a dwarf's homicidal jealously, is performed with operatic intensity by the two talented musicians.



Wolf songs, "Die Geister am Mummelsee" is a four-minute tone poem where singer and pianist conjure up a supernatural funeral procession that first disappears beneath the waters of a lake then suddenly rises up from the depths to threaten the narrator. Breinl's tonal depiction of the lake's rippling waters is one of the finest pianistic passages on this CD.



Berg's 4 Lieder op. 2 were look backward to 19th century optimism and forward to 20th century atonality and cynicism and Stotijn's sardonic performance of this cycle's "Warm die Lufte" is a nice counterpoint to the more fully romantic works by Schubert and Wolf. Withal, a carefully considered and splendid album by two very gifted musicians."