Search - Wolfgang Holzmair, Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Gerard Wyss :: Franz Schubert: Lieder, Vol. 3

Holzmair at his most assured in Schubert

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/24/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This Schubert recital dates from 1992, a commenter notes (my copy, being a download, is undated). In the past I have passed over this singer, finding him a kind of male Ely Ameling, possessed of a light, prettified voice that wasn't being used with any great intensity. But that assessment doesn't apply here. Holzmair is at is most committed and even passionate. there's poignant feeling imbuing his tone, and his gaze is inward, a prerequisite for singing Schubert's deceptively simple songs. In Gerard Wyss he's also found a sympathetic accompanist who knows how to temper his tone to support Holzmair's almost frail,tenorish baritone with its characteristic quaver.



The first song, Erlkonig, serves as a litmus test. Its melodramatic buildup is not natively "right" for light lyric voices, but using artistry and fine characterization, Holzmair is quite convincing. One wants reckless passion in Rastlose Liebe, which isn't Holzmair's style, but in his more controlled way he suggests the restless love that is the song's subject. Ganymed is about a beautiful boy-child being lifted to heaven by Zeus in the guise of an eagle, and here the singer is in perfect territory, making his tone breathless and exalted as the song finds its apotheosis in heaven. Youthful innocence, as in Der Musensohn and Heidenroslein, are also a natural fit. My only complaint is that Holzmair still tends to be mild-mannered, and there's too much reliance on pleasant singing. That said, this is an assured recital that strikes many right notes."