SCHUBERT: Winterreise (Franz Schubert - Wilhelm Muller)

Album review

Do Canadian singers really have an inside line on Schubert's Winterreise? It could be: tenor Jon Vickers, the superb Canadian tenor, recorded an amazingly agonized and astoundingly terrifying recording of Schubert's death- and madness-haunted song cycle in 1992 and now baritone Russell Braun has now done the same thing in 2005. Perhaps it's the empty coldness of the imagery coupled with the passionate despair of the music that draws singers of the great white north to Winterreise, but whatever the cause, the work draws performances of shattering intensity from both Vickers and Braun. For some listeners, that may be just the thing; for others, it may be too much of a good thing. There's no denying that when he's restrained, Braun is wonderful and his expressive performances of the cycle's lyrical songs are extremely effective. But there's likewise no denying that when he's unleashed, Braun is frightful and his exaggerated performances of the cycle's dramatic songs, like Vickers' before him, may be too close to histrionic for some listeners. Pianist Carolyn Maule is a faithful accompanist of Braun's voice and an ardent supporter of Braun's interpretation. CBC Records sound is clear and deep.
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