Countertenor Iestyn Davies has a flourishing career that has reached the age where he takes on unorthodox projects. He doesn't have the power of Andreas Scholl, who seems to be able to sing anything, but he's often compelling. Davies is not the first countertenor to take on a Schubert song cycle, but the list is not long, and there are good reasons for this. Schubert's subtle vocal lines don't always lie easily on the slashing voice of the countertenor, and Davies has performed Die schöne Müllerin with transpositions of the ...
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Countertenor Iestyn Davies has a flourishing career that has reached the age where he takes on unorthodox projects. He doesn't have the power of Andreas Scholl, who seems to be able to sing anything, but he's often compelling. Davies is not the first countertenor to take on a Schubert song cycle, but the list is not long, and there are good reasons for this. Schubert's subtle vocal lines don't always lie easily on the slashing voice of the countertenor, and Davies has performed Die schöne Müllerin with transpositions of the songs as needed. He seems to have fine-tuned his performance effectively. Joseph Middleton, always very strong, is an ideal accompaniment for Davies here, forging a nervous feel that meshes well with Davies' psychological insights. Davies is quite effective in the pieces that have opera-like lines, such as No. 15, Eifersucht und Stolz, and his concluding Des Baches Wiegenlied, suggesting spiritual growth, is very strong. Listener reactions here will largely depend on whether they...
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