Die schöne Müllerin

"Skovhus har igen indspillet Schuberts tre store sangcykler, "Die schöne Müllerin", "Winterreise" og "Schwanengesang" ... Den første cd på Capriccio med "Die schöne Müllerin" er udsendt, og den er overvældende. De to andre er på vej ... Skovhus synger den ulykkelige møllersvends stille kærlighedssange med en ny indføling og forståelse. Samtidig får vi af Stefan Vlader et enestående smukt og tæt klaverakkompagnement. Mange års samarbejde synes her at kulminere".

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"This might well be the most beautiful singing of the cycle I have ever heard. Krimmel's baritone is a thing of gorgeous wonder seemingly smooth and rich in every register. His breathing is so natural as to make it seem like he barely breathes at all ... Krimmel's musicality is subtle and fully engaged with the detail of Schubert's writing ... The very beauty of Krimmel's singing and Heide's playing make the final three songs even more affecting ... This will not be a version for all listeners but anyone who loves good singing for its own sake should give it a try".

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"Vurdering: Ugens cd" - "Matthias Goerne har sikkert sunget sangene fra "Die schöne Müllerin" i 20 år eller mere. Alligevel lyder hans fortolkning fuldstændig nytænkt og frisk. Hver sang har en renhed og er samtidig fyldt med de mest raffinerede detaljer. Dertil kommer en vokal beherskelse, der er milevidt over det flotte, smukke og mandige, der ellers ville være en nem standardløsning for et sangerfænomen som Matthias Goerne".

"These are works that not only present composers who are women, but composers who are shining examples in their fields and generations ... The Monte Piano Trio give strong and committed performances of all three works, showing their breadth of ability and ease of moving between the genres presented by the three composers. Their performances are well detailed and show a great sense of ensemble and understanding ... An excellent production all round".

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"He certainly is masterly in nuances and dynamic control. His pianissimos are so ravishing and his breath control impressive - and there are myriad examples of this throughout the cycle. The encounter with the Müllerin is a marvellous sequence of various feelings: exhilaration, tenderness and enamoured happiness ... The intensity there is strong and powerful, glowing but controlled ... This is another marvellous recording of Die schöne Müllerin, one to add to the ever-growing list of highly recommendable versions of this indestructible masterwork".

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"Der er ingen tvivl om, at jeg foretrækker ham i dette liedrepertoire, hvor hans demonstrativt tydelige artikulation, der nogle gange balancerer på grænsen af det selvnydende, bedst kommer til sin ret. De bittesmå, fine, subtile nuancer i disse sange er der så til gengæld heller ingen tenor, der kan forme bedre end Kaufmann".

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"Cd'en kan anbefales uden problemer. Kaufmann synger smidigt, dejligt rent, med en fin klar velklang og en menneskelig smerte, som virker naturlig ... Men skal man høre Schuberts store cyklus med en baryton eller en tenor? Fischer-Dieskau gav med sin dybere stemme og mere dramatiske tolkning en mere nuanceret tolkning. Kaufmanns ulykkelige møllersvend er yngre, karakteren en anden".

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"Slaget er kun halvt vundet, hvis sangeren ikke har en jævnbyrdig eller måske ligefrem overtrumfende akkompagnatør ved sin side. Det har den nye tyske tenor Jonas Kaufmann til fulde med pianisten Helmut Deutsch i sin nye indspilning ... Sidste år ved sommerfestspillene i München måtte han efter fem opførelser af Lohengrin på Nationalteatret melde sig syg ... Måske skulle Jonas Kaufmann have haft lidt flere stunder til at komme sig, for hans stemmes fornemste kvalitet, den usvigelige fløjlsbund, synes svækket".

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"En mesterlig indspilning med barytonen Matthias Goerne og Christoph Eschenbach ved klaveret. Det er en herligt drømmende udgave, hvor Goerne med sin store, voluminøse vokal griber følsomt fat i kravetøjet på én, uden at det bliver for meget af det gode. Og Eschenbach er en fornem medspiller, der med sit omhyggelige og sikre spil understreger skønheden i Goernes ufejlbarlige legatolinjer ... Sagt på en anden måde: Jeg kan ikke anbefale denne cd nok".

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"Schuberts cyklus Die schöne Müllerin ... hører sammen med Winterreise til det mest udfordrende materiale, liedsangeren og akkompagnatøren kan give sig i kast med, men Gerhaher og Huber klatrer ubesværet op på toppen af markedets uoverskuelige bunke af Müller-versioner ... Denne Schöne Müllerin lyder som noget nyt og vedkommende. Det er påfaldende, hvor ofte Gerhaher underspiller møllersvendens troskyldige følelsesudbrud, og hvor roligt fortællende beretningen skrider frem - med tid til fabelagtigt nuanceret sangligt foredrag og klaverspil".

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"The recording is at its best in the more introspective numbers, where the baritone's manner takes on a moving, world-weary quality: he is beguiling still in 'Morgengruss' and touching in both 'Die liebe Farbe' and 'Der Müller und der Bach'".

"Editor's choice: The youthful swagger many interpreters find in the earlier songs has been replaced by pensiveness and resignation. It's an entirely valid interpretative approach and one that Krimmel and his superb pianist, Daniel Heide, realise beautifully and movingly. They perform as one throughout. ... Krimmel's voice is ideally suited to the interpretation ... There's certainly no shortage of outstanding recordings of this cycle but this new one - considered, refined and beautifully sung, played and recorded - is among the most satisfying and quietly moving to come my way for a long time".

"Boesch's daring emotional range is matched by the almost expressionist vividness of Martineau's playing ... the controversiel Boesch and Martineau yield to none in no-holds-barred intensity".

"This fine disc, pervaded with sadness though it is, has a great deal to offer those who love Schubert's songs".

"But while other singers, tenors especially ... suggest a more youthfully vulnerable protagonist, Maltman's arden, impulsive, intensely "lived" performance, partnered and inspired by the ever-illuminating Johnson, should be heard by anyone who loves that cycle".

"Though Gerhaher wraps his voice around Schubert's heartier vocal lines more comfortably than in his 2003 recording ... the unaided ear could assume that that Gerhaher wasn't in his best voice for this recording ... In more emotionally animated moments of Der Jäger and Eifersucht und Stolz, Gerhaher could easily have gone Wagnerian but instead delivers a somewhat strident, nasal sound that fits this unheroic figure ... The biggest dividend to Gerhaher's approach is any number of moments where you feel part of the protagonist's thought process, as he hatches ideas on the spot. How often does that happen?".

"Editor's choice: Julian's embellishment and occasional melodic alterations, allied to an unusual flexibility of tempo and rhythm, sound delightfully fresh and spontaneous ... The fortepiano is ideally matched with Julian Prégardien's sweet, limpid timbre, deployed with minimal vibrato ... A Schöne Müllerin that combines tonal beauty, immediacy of characterisation and an enriching sense of spontaneous improvisation. This performance simply feels right, and I suspect [Prégardien's] father Christoph might agree".