The Hyperion Schubert Edition 35 - Schubert, 1822-1825 / Dawson, McGreevy, Langridge, Hampson, Koningsberger, Maltman, Davies, G. Johnson

Written at a time in Schubert's life marked by personal and professional misfortune as well as by devastating ill health, many of these songs--volume 35, with which Hyperion's magnificent complete edition of Schubert lieder approaches its conclusion--are somber, despondent, mournful, and despairing, which makes the few sunny, serene ones all the more poignant. There are several settings for groups of male, female, or mixed voices and several dramatic ballads. One, called "Prayer," is almost an opera, composed in a single day during a visit to the estate of the Esterhazy family, all of whom sang well. Most of the songs are unfamiliar, but nonetheless beguilingly beautiful. Evoking mood, atmosphere, and almost visible images with all the melodic and harmonic magic of vintage late Schubert, they often turn literary dross into musical gold. The English singers' German diction is admirable, but the singing varies; Thomas Hampson and Neal Davies stand out. The ensembles are excellent and include such luminaries as Simon Keenlyside, Ian Bostridge, and John Mark Ainsley; why they sing no solos is a mystery. Pianist Graham Johnson, the series' guiding spirit, is splendid. His copious, detailed program notes are informative and fascinating, musically and historically. --Edith Eisler