Schubert: Goethe Lieder
Schubert wrote most of these songs in his teens, but all display  extraordinary compositional skill and emotional maturity, even those still  influenced by the ballad style popular at the time. Unquestionably, his  encounter with Goethe's poetry provided a powerful creative catalyst and  inspired some of his greatest songs. The earliest here was written in 1814:  the unfamiliar "Scene from "Faust," in which Gretchen, trying to pray in church,  is tormented by an Evil Spirit while the congregation intones the Dies Irae.  In this ghostly, harrowing piece, the singer, alternating recitative and  song, impersonates all the characters, including the chorus. Of three rarely  heard ballads, cast in the same form, only "The Singer"--a sunny, spirited  song distinguished by long piano interludes--is by Goethe (despite the title, three of the poems for these songs are not by Goethe). The other two are  gloomy and dramatic: "The Dwarf," whose rocking accompaniment seems to depict  the ocean's waves, and "End of a Song," a lovely operatic cantilena.Thomas Quasthoff's singing is superb. In "Erlkönig," the three voices are differentiated with vocal color and pronunciation; the ending sends shivers down the spine. The three "Songs of the Harp-Player" are heartbreaking; "Ganymed" builds from caressing lyricism to radiant ecstasy. It is interesting to compare this 1993 recording with Quasthoff's more recent ones. The unique vocal beauty and flawless technique are already fully in evidence, as is the depth of feeling and expression, from tender inwardness to high drama. The main difference is a greater simplicity with less reliance on inflection and nuance. Perhaps Quasthoff feels this is more appropriate for Schubert's early songs than for the late cycles; certainly it allows the music to speak from heart to heart  with aching immediacy. Pianist Charles Spencer is simply wonderful.--Edith Eisler