The recent death of baritone Hermann Prey has left a gaping hole in the world of opera and lieder singing. His intelligence and sensitivity, the full warmth of his voice, his ability to create character and mood almost instantaneously are qualities we miss already. All the more reason, then, to welcome the release of this recital of songs by Hans Pfitzner and Richard Strauss taped live at the 1970 Salzburg Festival. Prey is accompanied by Wolfgang Sawallisch, and it would not be overstating the case to compare the partnership with Fischer-Dieskau’s and Gerald Moore’s–they think as one and phrase as one. The chosen songs, particularly those by Pfitzner, are dark–subjects are the longings of the soul, the fear of death–and Pfitzner’s dips into sheer dissonance, as in the “Nachtwanderer”, are very effective. The Strauss songs do not pick up the mood much, but the idiom is more familiar. The four encores include Strauss’ beloved “Zueignung”, a welcome ray of light at the end of the program. This CD is for specialists and fans of Prey, particularly as, annoyingly, no texts and translations are included.
