Editorial Reviews

Christian Gerhaher's "Winterreise" is a respectable addition to the crowded field of available recordings, where the listener's personal preferences will play a strong role in the choice of an ideal performance. Gerhaher's voice is medium-sized, but he can summon up an authentically heroic tone when necessary, and his moments of emotional intimacy are especially effective. His technique is impeccable and he handles the cycle's formidable demands with ease. While his voice may not be the most sensuously beautiful and shapely among the singers who've recorded "Winterreise," his idiomatic interpretation is successful both on the level of the individual song and of the cycle as a whole. Gerhaher's phrasing is unusually sensitive and conveys the emotional volatility of the songs with uninhibited passion and conviction. The interpretively treacherous final song "Der Leiermann" is genuinely haunting. On the whole, his readings are slower than is traditional, emphasizing the cycle's mood of darkness and resignation. Pianist Gerold Huber offers a subtle and understated accompaniment, but at these slower tempos sometimes fails to maintain the dramatic momentum necessary to keep the tension from sagging. There is some variability in the sound quality between tracks, so the sound is occasionally slightly veiled, but generally the balance between the singer and pianist is good. Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide

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