Tenor of our times follows the lieder
REVIEW
Franz Schubert wrote songs with consummate ease. During his lifetime, he produced more than 600 lieder, sometimes dashing off eight or 10 in a day.
British tenor Ian Bostridge, perhaps the leading art-songster of his generation, also gives the impression of supreme effortlessness, the result, doubtless, of many hours of perspiration.
At his Roy Thomson Hall recital yesterday, Bostridge chose 22 of Schubert’s lieder ( 20 plus two encores) that ranged far and wide in terms of technique and emotion . . . and — aided not a little by the sympathetic work of pianist Julius Drake — made it all look remarkably easy. He opened with a series of four songs, all with text by Ernst Konrad Friedrich Schulze and all tinged with sorrow and loss. Each has a strong emotional arc and Bostridge and Drake deliver this wonderfully well, weighing the emotional storms against the periods of calm sadness. From here we were led on an even darker journey — moving toward night and death. This was, perhaps the most moving set of songs, with moments of extreme beauty in “ Aus Heliopolis I” and “ Ins stille Land” and culminating the remarkable, deeply atmospheric “Totengrabers Heimweh” (Gravedigger’s Homesickness).
After the intermission, the duo concentrated on different aspects of love, in a set of three simple but heartfelt songs. “ Auf der Riesenkoppe” is an honest, unadorned paean of patriotism, while the latter two are touching romance ballads. Then we went fishing, with a trio of songs that included the familiar “ Die Forelle” ( The Trout). The final set of six were an eclectic mix, showcasing Bostridge’s range and ability to deliver a song in all its drama.
Audibility was sometimes a problem. Despite the recent acoustic revamp, this hall is still not particularly kind to recitalists.
Bostridge doesn’t help his own cause. A tall, lean figure, he sings with a stoop, directing the sound downward, to the detriment of those sitting upstairs.
His German is sometimes a little slurred and there are occasions when he doesn’t finish off his words, particularly if they end with a plosive. For example, the phrase “ Sei mir gergrüßt,” which means “ I greet you,” emerged as “ sei mir gergrüß.”
That said, it is a lovely voice, flexible and expressive. Little wonder there was a standing ovation.