Schubert lieder are a much-beloved body of work, exploring a variety of themes as per the poets who wrote the texts. Matthias Goerne's album with pianist Alexander Schmalcz explores the two themes of love and death, and the differences in character are reflected in the color of his voice, some times more successfully than others. The album begins with a plodding piano and a deeper, more covered voice. The first few lieder tend to sound somewhat the same, with Goerne's voice sounding slightly murky in the lower registers and ...
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Schubert lieder are a much-beloved body of work, exploring a variety of themes as per the poets who wrote the texts. Matthias Goerne's album with pianist Alexander Schmalcz explores the two themes of love and death, and the differences in character are reflected in the color of his voice, some times more successfully than others. The album begins with a plodding piano and a deeper, more covered voice. The first few lieder tend to sound somewhat the same, with Goerne's voice sounding slightly murky in the lower registers and his higher notes sounding more lyrical like a tenor. As the album progresses, so does the interpretation of the songs. His phrasing improves, and he is more united with the emotions; the piano also begins to choose more careful phrasing. By the fourth track, Totengräber-weise, Goerne sounds more operatic and emotional, in character, and the listener hears his true baritone voice. From here on, we hear a very different type of singer, one who is telling us a story, often with great...
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