MOZART: Songs and Piano Pieces – Werner Gura, tenor/ Christoph Berner, pianoforte – Harmonia mundi

by | May 3, 2008 | Classical CD Reviews | 0 comments

MOZART: Songs and Piano Pieces – Werner Gura, tenor/ Christoph Berner, pianoforte – Harmonia mundi HMC 901979, 63:39 ****:

Mozart’s extant song production includes only about 30 altogether, and he never was one to express an overly-enthusiastic interest in them, except from private gifts to certain people. They are quite diverse in nature and appear from all times of his life, and so being Mozart, are not without interest. By and large there are two forms: strophic and through-composed, and they are set to poetry involving love, seasons, Masonic advancement, and philosophical musings.

I find them to be quite enjoyable in a sort of secondhand-listening way, and there is nothing in them that either particularly excites or dismays, but they are always pleasant and relaxing to hear. This album mixes them in with a series of his keyboard works also (the Fantasie in D minor, K 397 being the most well-known) and the concept works very well, the intermittent piano pieces a nice foil to what can become a sort of sameness in the songs. Werner Gura and partner Christoph Berner perform this music with a lot of panache, Gura especially developing into one of the most affecting tenor voices today, and very effective when presenting a story. The sound is very good, with nice ambiance around both musicians. As an alternative without the piano interruptions, you might also consider Joan Rodgers, John Mark Ainsley, and Roger Vignoles on a Hyperion release that has nothing but songs, and 10 minutes more of music.

TrackList:
Die Verschweigung, K. 518
Das Lied der Trennung, K. 519
Wie unglucklich bin ich nit, K. 147
Sei du mein Trost, K. 391
Fantasie in D minor, K. 397
Lied zur Gesellenreise, K. 468
Die betrogene Welt, K. 474
Eine kleine Gigue in G, K. 574
Sehnsucht nach dem Fruhlinge, K. 596
Der Fruhling, K. 597
Das Veilchen, K. 476
Rondo in F, K. 594
Das Traumbild, K. 530
Dans un bois solitaire, K. 308
Variations on “Mio caro Adone”, K. 180
An Chloe, K. 524
Die Zufriedenheit, K. 473
Abendempfindung an Laura, K. 523

— Steven Ritter
 

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