Elly Ameling, Dawn Upshaw, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Christoph Prégardien, Fritz Wunderlich, and countless other singers to varying degrees have traversed Schubert’s monumental collection of songs (nearly 70 in all) set to poems by Goethe. The great German poet, who refused ever to acknowledge Schubert’s impressive tribute to his work, inspired some of the composer’s finest, most musically and intellectually satisfying songs. The best interpreters on recordings are those singers mentioned above, however only one of them–Prégardien–has committed to disc more than a relative handful of Schubert’s Goethe-Lieder. And after Hyperion’s excellent Schubert Edition, there is no alternative, comprehensive collection of these important songs, many of which are among Schubert’s most innovative masterpieces. That’s one reason this ambitious project from Naxos will be welcome to Schubert and lieder fans. The “Deutsche Schubert-Lied-Edition” will present the composer’s 700-plus songs, “grouped according to the poets who inspired him.” Conceived by pianists Stefan Laux and Ulrich Eisenlohr, the project uses the latest research along with the Neue Schubert-Ausgabe and matches young German-speaking singers with songs appropriate to their voices.
Although you may not have heard of Ulf Bästlein, he already has made several recordings and is a frequent performer in European concerts and festivals. His dark, somewhat heavy baritone wouldn’t be my immediate first choice for this repertoire, but Bästlein knows exactly how to use its rich color to his advantage and to the benefit of the texts. He focuses the tone toward a lighter placement throughout most of the songs, but it’s always garbed in a warm resonance that carries well and falls gently on the ear. Of course, his German is impeccable and his expressive nuances are quite effective. Although I prefer a soprano for a song like “Ganymed” and a tenor for “Heidenröslein”, Bästlein has convinced me that a bass-baritone can achieve similarly satisfying results. Stefan Laux isn’t the most dynamic or inspired piano partner, but he lends solid support nevertheless, and takes the lead where required. The extensive liner notes add a welcome bonus. Although the disc cover says the playing time for these 24 songs is 68:22, it’s really a very generous 78 minutes.
