If there hadn’t been a Schubert, the name and music of Carl Loewe would be a lot more familiar these days. And rightly so. With Loewe, the question easily could be which came first, the singer or the song composer–for Loewe was naturally gifted at both, from an early age, and undoubtedly each talent affected and enhanced the execution of the other. He proved an extraordinary facility for setting narrative ballads, capturing not only the scenic color and drama, but doing it with attractive, eminently singable melodies and a Schubertian harmonic sensibility for creating/shifting mood or for textual emphasis, not to mention a thorough understanding of how to use the piano as a partner to the voice and as visual or poetic scene-painter. Loewe’s own setting of Erlkönig makes a fascinating comparison with Schubert’s, with Loewe’s mysterious, lightly swirling piano figures in the opening contrasting with Schubert’s profoundly more ominous galloping rhythm.
This well-conceived collection of 20 songs features several settings of Goethe and Rückert as well as a few of the Scottish and Danish ballad settings for which Loewe was justly famous. It also is the Hyperion debut of baritone Florian Boesch–and what a gorgeous voice, what a technically flawless, eminently articulate singer/interpreter he is! He is not afraid of very soft singing–or I should say, unlike most lieder singers, he knows how to use it very effectively. And it’s lovely–try the little Wandrers Nachtlied “Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh'”, or another Goethe song, “Lynceus, der Thürmer, auf Fausts Sternwarte singend”. He also demonstrates a wide range, solid and secure from top to bottom–those low-Es are impressive–and you rarely hear a legato so smooth and effortless.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the contribution of Roger Vignoles; to have the partnering expertise of such an experienced and sensitive pianist at your side is a huge asset for any singer, and together they bring the music and beautiful singing to full flower. Am I more impressed with Loewe’s songs because a singer such as Boesch is performing them? Perhaps; but that’s part of what great singing is about. And this excellent recording makes me not only want to hear more Loewe–but most definitely, more, please, from Florian Boesch. Highly recommended. [6/27/2011]
