Search - Gérard Souzay, Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Jacqueline Bonneau :: Schubert: Lieder

Schubertians From Heaven

V. Stasov | 03/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gerard Souzay is one of Schubert's finest interpreters. In beautiful voice on this recording, he is ideally suited for lieder, his intelligence, elegant diction and lucid interpretation of the text can pierce the soul. He has a hypnotic way of using his voice on some of these tracks, especially his lower register, infusing the melody and words with exquisite sensitivity. A Dinu Lipatti of the voice. His quiet singing is mesmerizing.



While not as widely known as the ubiquitous F-D, Souzay is nonetheless one of our greatest lieder singers. Here he is unmannered, delivering utterly natural interpretations that are in fact preferable to F-D, to my ears. Subtle, seductive with his insight, intensely personal, and always living the poetry, his voice is never crude, coarse, or bombastic, as can be the case with some lieder singers. He exhibits astute control of his instrument, his diction is clear and refined, with a slight French accent, which doesn't detract from the performance. In fact, it adds a sensuality to the interpretation even in a couple of nasal vowel moments which serve as a gentle reminder of his origins.



The pianists, Dalton Baldwin and Jacqueline Bonneau are both gorgeous, harmonious partners in every way. They are each capable of reminding us that Schubert's piano accompaniment is the beloved of the vocalist. One gets the sense, at times, that the accompaniment could have stood up on its own. These musical unions approach the intelligence, conception, musicality and depth of Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten, with the big exception that Souzay's voice on this recording is far more beautiful than Pears'.



Every track is a revelation. Particularly outstanding are An Die Leier (as great as Jussi Björling's), Nacht und Traume, Du Bist die Ruh', and the impasssioned and exposed Ganymed. Abschied is virile, confident and compellingly rhythmic. Souzay sings evenly with seemingly effortless control, detailed expressiveness and phrasing, spinning the very melodic soul of each piece. Litanie auf der Fest is given a fervent delivery, saturated with spiritual reverence. His emotional palette ranges from gentlest delicacy of Das Rosenband to the burning, hormonal rapture of Ganymed. Souzay is always sincere, fully occupying the music, with his unique textual precision. Never forced, artificial or postured, these expressive interpretations, dramatic but never operatic, demand repeat listening and continue to play on my inner iPod. In this recital Souzay is a sexy, hypnotic, addictive singer. Later on his career his voice declined in a rather alarming way, but here he is at his most sublime.



One of the greatest recordings in my collection. Highest recommendation."