Search - Brahms, Norman, Barenboim :: Lieder

LOVE SONGS

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 12/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jessye Norman is one of the greatest singers of her generation, but I needed a little convincing that her voice was right for Brahms. In general Brahms seems to me to suit a mezzo, and this dark lady had, in her prime, a particularly bright voice - high, true, powerful and clear, a voice like a laser beam. One way or another, this disc has convinced me, and if there has been a bit of stage-management to it that is all right by me. The songs have obviously been chosen to suit her. Until the very last item they have an upbeat quality. There is outright humour here, and not only in Vergaebliches Staendchen, but there is also sometimes a tongue-in-cheek feeling about the whole complicated business of love, and of course there is plain straightforward old romantic fervour. There are really no Brahmsian shadows anywhere, and in the last song of the recital, the transcendental Immer leiser, the sense as death approaches is trance-like as it should be and beyond fear or sadness - a unique piece of music given a sublime reading.



Another thing I suspected in the earlier numbers, though much less as the recital proceeded, was that Barenboim might have been giving a deliberate touch of gruffness to the bass, as if to counteract his colleague's radiance. If so, it works for me. They make a really excellent duo, and in Brahms's solo songs, much more than in Schubert's, Schumann's or even Wolf's, the accompaniments suit a player who is an experienced soloist in his own right. One senses that this composer was a working pianist himself. Given that the selection is biased is favour of a certain type of expression, it has been very skilfully put together for the maximum possible contrast and avoidance of any danger of monotony. The opening number is Brahms's very first published song. The others range up to opus-numbers in three figures and take in 8 of the Zigeunerlieder (Gipsy songs) opus 103, and the recital ends on its high point musically with the great Wie Melodien and Immer leiser.



This disc has been supplanted by more comprehensive selections from the same artists. It has been simply lifted off an LP (not a particularly long-playing one either) and does not obviously represent great value for money. All the same, I still think it is worth recommending to record collectors looking for a suitable initiation into the Brahms lieder. This is Brahms at his most friendly and least gloomy, and Norman's radiant tone is not exactly a disadvantage either. If you can still find it on the marketplace at some reasonable price I should say go for it."