The Hyperion Schubert Edition 2 / Stephen Varcoe, Graham Johnson
Schubert composed some songs that are monstrously long, almost invariably settings of one of Schiller's Romantic ballads. None of them is larger thanDer Taucher, which clocks in at some 25 minutes, even in as urgent a performance as this one. It's tribute to Stephen Varcoe and Graham Johnson that they manage to sustain interest throughout the entire piece, and for the remainder of the program Johnson has selected a richly contrasted series of songs, with the ballad as the grand finale. Smart programming, and great performances.--David Hurwitz