Violeta Urmana’s beautiful voice and powerfully expressive singing enliven this well-planned lieder recital on Farao. At various points in their careers, each of the represented composers was considered to be on the cutting edge, though the selected songs are pretty much solidly grounded in the German lieder tradition. Liszt’s melodically rich, temperamental songs (all of which deal with fish and the sea) provide much opportunity for dramatic expression, something Urmana clearly relishes as she navigates the music’s shifting dynamics with seemingly boundless energy while maintaining her smooth, warm tone and impeccable diction. The Strauss selections, particularly “Befreit”, call further upon the singer’s stamina and agility, but they also require tenderness, as in the popular “Morgen”, which Urmana elevates through her ethereal soft singing.
Most impressive are Berg’s Seven Early Songs, where Urmana navigates the tricky whole-tone melodies of the first song with stunning precision, then leaps fearlessly–singing at full tilt–into the hyper-romantic, pre-expressionist writing of the remainder. Pianist Jan Philip Schulze is no less adroit in the varied musical styles, providing robust yet sensitive accompaniments. This is as fine a disc of lieder singing as you’ll likely find today, and it’s excellently recorded to boot. [1/31/2006]
