Search - Frank [1] Martin, Wolfgang Weigel, Christian Mucke :: Frank Martin: Six Monologues from "Everyman"; Drey Minnelieder; Trois Chants de Noël; Poès de la Mort

Remarkable "Poems of Death" & Other Beautiful Songs

Nicholas A. Deutsch | New York, NY USA | 11/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This enterprising disc brings together the 4 song cycles of Swiss composer Frank Martin's maturity (his only early one, the lovely Quatre Sonnets a Cassandre [1921], is on ASV CD DCA 1010). Though short on time (48'), this CD is long on substance & enjoyment: every song shows Martin's melodic & harmonic gifts at their peak, as well as his unsurpassed sensitivity to words - French & German, both modern & Medieval. The well-known 6 Monologues from Hugo von Hofmannsthal's play "Jedermann" ("Everyman"), heard here in their original piano version, ranks among the most spiritually profound of 20th century cycles. The 2 sets of songs for soprano, the 3 Love Songs on texts of the troubadors & the familiar 3 Christmas Songs, are both delightful, & show the enriching influence of folk music. Extraordinary is the only word for the rarity here, the late [1969/1971] setting of 3 poems by the Medieval French poet Francois Villon under the title Poems of Death, for 3 male voices & 3 electric guitars. This unexpected combination proves an inspired equivalent to the vivid combination of "gallows humor" (literally, in the "Ballad of the Hanged Men") & clear-eyed compassion in the texts. This performance, the only one currently available on CD, is excellent, with strong singing & playing under Wolfgang Weigel's crisp, sensitive direction; tenor Christian Muecke is especially skillful at capturing the sardonic edge. The performances of the other cycles are also good, with soprano Susanne Thomas-Martin bringing fresh tone to her songs & baritone Volker Arendts an appealing plangency to the "Jedermann" settings. Pianist Miroslav Kroupa provides firm support, & Irmgard Toepper is the sweet-toned flautist in the Christmas Songs. The pleasure of these versions derives from the youthful freshness of the singers' voices, their sound technical & expressive training & the rightness of their artistic priorities. Martin recorded these 3 cycles with baritone Heinz Rehfuss & soprano Elly Ameling (available on Jecklin-Disco JD 563-2), & I won't overpraise these new versions by claiming that they rank with those classic ones. But I enjoyed them all, & it's good that new generations of musicians continue to take on the considerable challenges of the music of this 20th century master. In any case, the performance of the Poemes de la Mort makes this a must-have for Martin fans, & I hope others will take a chance of discovering something new & rewarding. Full texts & translations in French, German & English."