This solo recital by Christiane Karg is the German soprano’s first for the label. Together with Malcolm Martineau, her selection includes the five Rückert Lieder, but it mainly focuses on early songs, with selections from Des Knaben Wunderhorn and the Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit. Karg’s clear, bright soprano shows her precisely delicate singing skills in every song included in the program.   

The exciting surprise comes with the two final Lieder, including “Das himmlische Leben” – which concludes the 4th symphony: They are “accompanied” by the composer himself on the piano, recorded on a roller and restored by the Welte-Mignon process. 

Even if the singer is better suited to the more pictorial Wunderhorn settings than to some of the more inward-looking Rückert songs, her worldwide recognized talent and her professionally accurate technique are once again very noticeable in this recording.  

However, the singer’s interpretation didn’t convince part of the critics. Some listeners also think that the selection of songs was not the most adequate for her. Because the music itself, the prosody, the poetry of Mahlerian melodies require a deeper timbre, a consistency, an alternation of shadows and lights, which is lacking here in most Lieder. Malcolm Martineau’s diligent piano doesn’t help much in this aspect and his extreme meticulousness sometimes turns counterproductive. 

Everything looks nicely done. But the voice, is light, too soft to move the listener to deeper emotions. 

One can’t help comparing Karg’s interpretation with the distinctive voices of Schwarzkopf, Ludwig, Fassbaender, Janet Baker or Ferrier among many others who had previously attacked a similar repertoire.  “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen”, this moving confession – “I have withdrawn from the world” – which whispered by Kathleen Ferrier or Janet Baker, leaves you speechless, almost loses its power when pronounced by the German soprano.  

Comparisons seem inevitable again In the Knaben Wunderhorn, this collection of popular songs, in which once again Karg doesn’t reach the standards of Anne-Sofie von Otter or the sublime Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in “Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen”. 

Nobody doubts that Christiane Karg is a brilliant soprano, and recognized Mozartian, applauded for her virtuosity and the great command of her delicate voice. The unfortunate selection of a recital all Mahler to the detriment of more varied melodies, and the inadequacy of the songs for the interpreter’s qualities, prevents this CD from being at the top list of my recommendations. 

Georgian-born pianist Khatia Buniatishvili has just released Labyrinth, her latest album, under Sony Classical label. In the words of the same interpreter, this work is a love letter conceived for her listeners, a highly personal album. With this album – “the most personal of all,” she says – Khatia Buniatishvili interweaves genres and centuries.   

Recorded at the Grande Salle Pierre Boulez at the Philharmonie de Paris, the album is very unique and particular drawing on the evocative language of composers from Scarlatti to Morricone and from Bach to Glass. The labyrinth, says the Franco-Georgian pianist, is: “our destiny and our creation; our impasse and our liberation; the polyphony of life, of the senses, of awakened dreams and of the neglected present; unexpected turns and expectations of the said or the unspoken … The labyrinth of our mind.” 

Khatia Buniatishvili is a unique artist in the classical music world, a pianist with an almost incomparable performing elegance and a movie director’s ear for attention and narration. And her new recording is a concept album as uncomon, moving and profund as the pianist herself. Labyrinth explores human lifeboundless quest. Through the eyes of a  wise woman, it sets a cinematic ride over hesitation, nostalgia, sensuality, pleasure, and pain. 

Showing  a relentless attitude,  Khatia  draw on her extraordinary piano playing in a very particular journey through the entire repertoire that she has performed up to the date. The album contains film music by Ennio Morricone (Debora´s theme from “Once Upon a Time in America”), Philip Glass (from “The Hours”)  piano pictures by Erik Satie and Serge Gainsbourg and a Latin American dance by Heitor Villa-Lobos Estonian prayer by Arvo Pärt. Amonng many other pieces some of them were arranged by Khatia Buniatishvili herself such as Bach’s “Badinerie” for piano four hands and “Sicilienne” BWV 596 based on Vivaldi’s D minor concerto RV 565.  

Because so-called classical music, “it is that which has crossed the ages and continues to moves us with its universality”, sums up the Franco-Georgian pianist, keeping it simple. The program, which ranges from baroque to film music, is very puzzling but it is also an interesting invitation to break the codes. Which suits her pretty well. Because Khatia Buniatishvili does not please everyone. She knows it and assumes it. 

When listening, you find yourself inmerse in another dimension, in a magical mix, a labyrinth of music full of new unexpected twists. It is without a doubt a unique and personal CD, which might not be well accepted  and loved by everybody. 

The best thing about Khatia is that her sound, as she did in Motherland, gives unity to the whole concept, knowing that from the first to the last note, the artist has put her stamp on each interpretation.

As many artists in 2020, Leonidas Kavakos joined Beethoven’s 250 years celebrations with this CD as a tribute to the composer. Starting with the “Violin Concerto”, it includes works clearly marked by romantic and ancient traditions. Kavakos himself, as he usually does during concerts, also takes the baton. The minor pieces of the recording are also very interesting and shouldn’t be disregarded. 

Throughout his long career, the distinguished Greek violinist has astonished us on many occasions, both in concerts with orchestra and in chamber recitals. 

Indeed, Kavakos’ noble phrasing in his outstanding interpretation of the Violin Concerto, is prominent. We can clearly appreciate his embellishing sound and his scrupulous respect for Beethoven’s score, especially during the particularly attractive and exceptional performance of the Cadenza of the first movement. There is a beautiful dialogue between the violin and the timpani (alla marcia, written by Beethoven) and an amazing artistry, full of double strings and delightful ornaments, but without losing the rigor with the soul of the work. 

The second movement, Larghetto, is very elegant and highly eloquent, performed and conducted by Kavakos with great intimacy, and the transition to the final Rondo is also very creative but faithful to Beethoven at the same time. 

The Greek’s remarkable musical ability in both the conducing and solo roles in this movement is clearly visible in the phenomenal final Rondo. It is fresh, bright, strong and superbly played and conducted by Kavakos.  

His interpretations are pure and genuine. He is not looking to impress. He seeks fidelity, purity of sound and spirit. His deep understanding of Beethoven’s works shows in every single interpretation, and the powerful romantic energy that moves the artist during his performances is highly contagious to the listener. Absolutely recommendable recording and a “must have” of any Beethoven fan.

Jonas Kaufmann rejoins with his music companion Helmut Deutsch the recording of these lieder, a repertoire so adored by the singer, recorded at the heart of an exceptional period, marked by the pandemic that paused our lives. 

Reunited during confinement around a piano, the two artists recorded a generous bouquet of twenty-seven lieder which is the result of a common choice. 

The interpretation is invigorating. Jonas Kaufmann plays with highly refined style as a liederista, with a nuanced balance between containment and expansion.  

The artist’s voice perfectly matches the chamber repertoire because he is a sui generis tenor, with the central width and bass characteristic of a baritone. His admirable control of the volume allows him to be pathetic in exclamation and minimalist intimacy, admirably adapting to the poem’s demands.  

The tenor masterfully interprets Friedrich Silcher’s Lied ‘Ännchen von Tharau’, with an accompaniment that intertwines the text with the music very well. The piano melody turns out very expressive in the Austrian pianist’s fingers. This recital could not miss ‘Auf Flügeln des Gesanges’ op. 34/2 by Felix Mendelssohn, one of the most beautiful songs in the Lied. Kaufmann’s voice flows over the subtle and ethereal melody played by Deutsch. Starting with non-German-speaking composers, the tenor sings “Ich liebe dich”, by Edvard Grieg, with a “parlado” style in some phrases. Then with a powerful and highly moving voice, he sings the declaration of love to his beloved. Kaufmann is a master in controlling the level of expressiveness; he knows how to provide exactly the right touch of passion. 

The program evolves with a constant gradation in emotion, moving from naive love to burning passion and ending with disillusion and farewell to life.  Kaufmann’s wide vocal palette acquired with maturity and experience works wonders here: he plays the heroic voice sparingly, using all his artistic resources from a seductive principal voice to a keen sense of phrasing, notably in Strauss’s Allerseelen and Zueignung.  

Kaufmann elaborates the texts with such detail and sings them with such wise application that each piece gains unity and the whole, familiarity. 

Some listeners might be surprised by the choice of Tchaikovsky but keeping in mind that this is a “romantic songs” disc, it takes on its full meaning.  The balance of its verses and the beauty of the words in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem Nur wer die Shensucht kennt is just divine. 

Kaufmann is an excellent storyteller and the magnificent accompaniment of Deutsch creates the perfect atmosphere for these narratives. The excellent performance of Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch make this album a true treasure for all Lied lovers. 

Soprano Natalie Dessay published on 2017 her first Sony CD.  Inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, soprano dives herself in the American Songbook, with a series of songs arranged by distinguished jazz musicians.  

The paintings that inspired each song aren’t included in the commercial packaging, so that nothing eclipses the recording itself, which really stands out.  

After a three-year forced pause caused by a vocal surgery back in 2002, Dessay had to adapt her repertoire by doing chansons and musicals. The chanson album “Entre elle et lui” with Michel Legrand from 2013 is now followed by the album “Pictures of America” devoted to the American songbook.  

She says herself in the booklet notes that she worked to “develop a new voice – a deeper and more intimate sound that would whisper into the listener’s ear. It was a voice I had to learn to control, like a small, secretive wild animal.”  

In spite of the changes in her voice, she managed to keep the essence of her brilliant, focused core of sound. Dessay adopts a delicate and subtle sound with a deeper agile voice full of wonder and nuances. The arrangements of these familiar songs are artistic and surprising, including imaginary instrumental interludes that take full advantage of the string textures.  

Her new album demonstrates solemnly that her operatic voice may well be transformed into a musical, and she succeeds satisfactorily in such transformation, without even suspecting which powerful voice is behind this singer.  Being a vastly experienced opera singer, she masters the voice control techniques being able to generate the most refined moods and sound colors to match the atmosphere matching of every respective song. 

Dessay quality of singing is very noticeable. Her English diction on Disc One is admirably clear and comprehensible. The voice, now lower in tone, sounds clean and precise, however sometimes it lacks a bit of strength and energy at the most demanding moments. 

Isolation and sadness rule the general mood of the album, Pictures of America inspired by the Pictures of the American painter Edward Hopper.  However, there is also room for joy and cheerfulness in this excellent recording by Sony where, thanks to the high-resolution technique, not a single detail is lost from the masterly interpretation of the songs by Natalie Dessay. 

With this CD the virtuoso soprano has proven that nothing can stop an innate talent when it comes together with willpower together with hard work and practice. Highly recommended.