Composer: Franz Peter Schubert
Performer: Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: RCA
Catalogue: 82876777162
Release: 2006
Size: 244 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
01. Bei dir allein, D866 / 2
02. Abendbilder, D650
03. Himmelsfunken, D651
04. Dass sie hier gewesen! D775 (Rückert)
05. Drang in die Ferne, D770
06 .Am Fenster, D878
07. Auf der Bruck, D853
08. Des Fischers Liebesgluck, D933 (Leitner)
09. Der Winterabend (Es ist so still), D938
10. Das Zugenglocklein D871 (Seidl)
11. Alinde, D904
12. Fischerweise, D881 (Schlechta)
13. Im Abendrot, D799
14. Der Musensohn, D764 (Goethe)
15. Du bist die Ruh D776 (Rückert)
16. Greisengesang, D778
17. Willkommen und Abschied, D767
While not all of the 17 Schubert songs collected here under the title Abendbilder (Evening Images) deal specifically with the evening, most are at least tinged with the melancholy that’s associated with the end of the day in the romantic imagination, and baritone Christian Gerhaher’s passionate sensibility brings that melancholy to the fore. Gerhaher’s voice has matured since his fine 2001 recording of Der Winterreise and his interpretive skills have deepened. He is becoming a master of an effortless, creamy legato that’s especially evident in the long floating lines of “Du bist die Ruh.” The way Gerhaher’s voice materializes out of nothing in “Im Abendrot” is magical, and the simplicity and directness of his singing is heartbreakingly poignant. He is at much at home in the more energetic and vociferous songs, such as “Bei dir allein,” “Auf der Bruck,” and “Der Musensohn,” but it’s in the more introspective pieces, where he can caress the words, that he is most unaffectedly moving. Gerold Huber provides supple and nuanced accompaniment, and the partnership of voice and piano is one of the album’s greatest strengths. The sound is warm, present, and well balanced, with just enough resonance to maximize Gerhaher’s ringing tone.