Search - Dietrich Henschel, Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Helmut Deutsch :: Schubert: An den Mond (Chants nocturnes)

Baritone Dietrich Henschel is admired as much for his opera performances as for his concert work, but his greatest strengths are revealed in the German lied. His voice is trumpet-like on high notes yet velvety smooth in the middle. More important, he makes his interpretive points through phrasing and by subtly coloring the voice, without the excessive underlining and word-painting so common among his peers. In Romantic German songs he skillfully projects the drama of the poetic narratives--here predominately grim tales either directly or metaphorically concerned with love (usually unrequited), courage, and death. The 20 songs on this disc encompass many familiar items, but also several that don't often turn up in recitals. In a song like Meeres Stille, Henschel sustains the mood of awe at the sea?s all-encompassing, death-like stillness, but he's also effective in the more martial celebration of life?s struggles in Lebensmut. Pianist Helmut Deutsch is a distinct asset in these songs, an equal partner as envisioned by Schubert, whether portraying the galloping horse in Auf der Bruck or playing the telling postludes that comment on the songs. --Dan Davis