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 asSimon Keenlyside,Ian Bostridge, andJohn Mark Ainsley; why they sing no solos is a mystery. PianistGraham Johnson, the  series' guiding spirit, is splendid. His copious, detailed program notes are  informative and fascinating, musically and historically.--Edith Eisler