A program titled “Of ladies and love . . .” certainly has intriguing possibilities, and thanks to the highly accomplished technique and rare vocal artistry of tenor Michael Schade–ideally accompanied by pianist Malcolm Martineau–we can sit back and know that we’re hearing about as favorable an exploitation of those possibilities as we can imagine. The theme offers a near-endless array of repertoire choices, but Schade has selected some of the lesser and best known songs by six highly individual yet exceptionally adept masters. And Schade’s amazingly versatile, agile, sweet, and sometimes very powerful voice proves adaptable to whatever the song demands–in style, in technique, and in expression of the text, from the most subtle dynamic shading to the most emphatic or gently turned phrase. He’s fearless in his command of the highly dramatic Liszt Tre sonetti di Petrarca, high D-flats and all. The sheer beauty of his singing in the second and third of this set–Benedetto sia ‘l giorno and I’ vidi in terra angelici costumi–are worth the price of the disc; but then, the same can be said for his performances of Schubert’s Trost: An Elisa, Strauss’ Cäcilie, Zeuignung, and Morgen, and Fauré’s Adieu (Op. 21 No. 3).
At certain loud moments, such as in the Liszt song Pace non trovo, Schade tends to push and the sound becomes strained, the normally smooth vibrato takes on an uneven wobble. But the expressive character of his delivery, his understanding of each song’s mood and setting, never wanes, and thanks to the overall consistency of his tone and the absolute surety of his technique, what could be an incohesive hodge-podge of styles (better on paper than in performance) holds together perfectly. Although Schade is primarily known for his Mozart and other opera stage work, with this recording he proves his formidable stature as a singer of songs. The engineering is first rate, placing tenor and piano in realistic balance and in a complementary acoustic space. [10/26/2002]
