About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

Of course, there are not enough Schubert songs -- no one would complain if there were two or three hundred more -- but in a sense, there are too many Schubert songs. As it is, few people have heard them all and fewer could say with confidence that they know more than a handful of Schubert's nearly 700 songs. And the terrible thing is that most of Schubert's songs are among the greatest songs ever composed. For every "Die Forelle (D. 550)," there are a dozen "Trosts (D. 523)." In his Schubert edition, Graham Johnson has spread the great, well-known songs with the great, less-well-known songs and baits the hook with the warmly fervent soprano Edith Mathis. Mathis is incredibly moving in great, well-known songs like "An die Musik (D. 547)" and the great, less-well-known "Abschied von einem Freunde (D. 578)," and singing the words of Schubert's friend Schobar with rapt ecstasy and the words of Schubert bidding his friend farewell with a profound sense of loss. No matter that you may only have heard "Lob der Thränen (D. 711)" once before, after Mathis' ardently longing performance, you will want to hear it again and again and again. Johnson's accompaniments are as subtle and intelligent as his choice of repertoire and his expansive and entertain program notes. James Leonard, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

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