Mahler: Lieder / Quasthoff, Hagegard

Thomas Quasthoff - Bass-Baritone, Hakan Haegard - baritone, Gary Bertini - Conductor, Kolner RSO

It is safe to say, that together with those of Schubert, the songs of Mahler are the most often performed, most beloved and most frequently recorded among the lieder repertoire. In fact, many classical music lovers have grown up with “their” reference recordings of The Songs of the Wayfarer, Kindertotenlieder and Des Knaben Wunderhorn. It is then that much more of an unexpected pleasure to listen to a previously unknown performance only to discover that it shatters all preconceptions and instantly vaults itself into a top position on the list of favourites. If you think my praise excessive, then you must listen to this disc. Taken from an early 1990’s radio broadcast, the disc opens with Thomas Quasthoff. An artist with a growing North-American profile, Quasthoff deserves to be celebrated as a Mahler artist of the century. His voice, measured, strong and lyrical, touches all the right buttons in a performance that seems effortless, understated, deeply thought-out and heart-wrenching all at the same time. This is my new “reference” recording! Håkan Hagegård, a Swedish artist with a career spanning 40 years, is equally at home with the repertoire, even though his voice presents less complexity and depth than that of his younger colleague. The album is also a tribute to the late Gary Bertini, a conductor whose illustrious teachers included Nadia Boulanger, Arthur Honegger and Olivier Messiaen. He approaches Mahler’s sacrosanct tempi with the courage of an iconoclast and delivers some of the most sensitive readings of the scores to date. Reviewed by Robert Tomas. Reprinted from The Wholenote Magazine (www.thewholenote.com), Nov. 2008.

Price: $25.98

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