Schumann: Lieder

Everything except one thing about Brigitte Fassbaender is an acquired taste. Her mezzo soprano is hooded and dark-hued. Her tone is hard and strong. Her interpretations are willful and even eccentric. The only thing about Fassbaender that is not an acquired taste is her manifest artistry. Whatever else one may think of his color or tone or interpretations, one cannot argue with Fassbaender's depth of insight and ability to create compelling performances. In this 1977 recital given with pianist Erik Werba recorded at the Salzburg Festival, Fassbaender sings almost entirely songs by Schumann, the most romantic of the early German Romantics. Her tone is dark: her Frauenliebe und -leben cycle sounds like its sung not by a maiden but by a mature woman. Her tone is strong: her Er ist's sounds like its sung not by a lover but a fighter. Her interpretation is willful: her Heine Lieder sound like they are being sung not by a Romantic but by an ironist. But still, her insights are amazing. If her Frauenliebe und -leben is sung by a mature woman, it is a mature woman who knows what it means to be a woman. If her Er ist's is sung by a fighter, it is a fighter who knows what it means to be passionate. If her Heine Lieder is sung by an ironist, it is a fervent ironist whose irony is a mask for powerful feelings. This recital may not be for everyone, but those who like it will love it. Orfeo's late stereo live sound is a bit too recessed and reverberant.