Schubert: Abendbilder

Christian Gerhaher (Performer), Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), Gerold Huber (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber
• Composer: Franz [Vienna] Schubert
• Audio CD (March 6, 2007)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000CS9IZ8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,604 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A successful alternative reading of Schubert, February 20, 2008

By 

Abel "AMY" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Schubert: Abendbilder (Audio CD)

It is truly perplexing that such a superb performance got a review of `mediocre, monochromatic'.
Alas, there are now many good singers and musicians around, but not enough good ears to recognise and appreciate them.
Christian Gerhaher is a light and high baritone, not even `lyrical', if there be such a fach. Light though his voice is, it is never monochromatic as one reviewer here claims. He has recorded some operatic works, but overall, his timbre, expressive though it is, is not of the dramatic type, and he rightly specialises in lieder and cantatas/oratorios. There are many different facets of emotions in this disc, and Gerhaher offers a varied and convincing performance of each one. Of course, his voice is very different from Thomas Quasthoff, who is out and out a successor of Fischer-Dieskau. Nor is he a Matthias Goerne, who reminds one of Hans Hotter. Gerhaher's voice is reminiscent of Hermann Prey, the lyrical baritone who was at that time the perfect baritone partner of the legendary tenor Fritz Wunderlich.
His accompanist Huber is also very capable. The two together work out a magical rapport in the various tracks.
Unless you are utterly disinterested in lieder, otherwise this disc will surely offer considerable pleasure.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A dedicated lieder singer is maturing nicely, November 24, 2007

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Schubert: Abendbilder (Audio CD)

Compared to his rather straight-faced Winterreise from 2001, German baritone Christian Gerhaher has acquired more sensitivity and flexibility in his approach to Schubert. His light baritone with a ringing top isn't particularly individual, but in lieder artistry comes first. I think he's someone to keep an eye on, and obviously to does RAC/BMG. Since Fischer-Dieskau retired from active recording, three baritones have vied for his popularity, if not pre-eminence: Thomas Hampson, Thomas Quasthoff, and Mathias Goerne. All are more distinctive vocally than Gerhaher. HIs approach remains non-intrusive, rather like Hermann Prey's when he sang lieder. Gerhaher is sincere, direct, and outwardly dramatic. But the best thing about this CD is the pianist, Gerold Huber, who performs with alert intelligence and ear-catching musicality.

Since Amazon doesn't list the progra, here are the 17 songs Gerhaher performs:

Bei dir allein D866/2. Abendbilder D650. Himmelsfunken D651. Dass sie hier gewesen D775. Drang in die Ferne D770. Am Fenster D878. Auf der Bruck D853. Des Fischers Liebesgluck D933. Der Winterabend D938. Das Zugenglocklein D871. Alinde D904. Fischerweise D881. Im Abendrot D799. Der Musensohn D764. Du bist die Ruh D776. Greisengesang D778. Willkommen und Abschied D767

P.S. May, 2010 --- I just heard a recent online performance of Schwanengesang from Gerhaher, and it considerably raised my opinion of his Lieder singing. It showed more personality and daring than what I've been hearing in the singer's studio recordings.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful lieder disc - no hesitation in giving it five stars, April 26, 2011

By 

jt52 "jt52" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Schubert: Abendbilder (Audio CD)

I'm usually in the opposite position relative to Amazon reviewers, baffled by laudatory reviews of average or downright bad discs. This is a case where I think the other three reviewers are being unfairly negative. I'll wade into the controversy-laden zone of lieder recordings and assert that this is a slam-dunk five-star disc. I am positive I will be listening to it with great pleasure a decade from now.

Christian Gerhaher (b. 1969): I bought this disc partly to sample the work of this impressive German singer. Gerhaher has a deeper type of baritone, so a good analogy would be Matthias Goerne, another terrific singer. Gerhaher's voice is luscious, very smooth and pleasant to listen to. I have seen comments describing Gerhaher as a mite inexpressive and, while he isn't as frankly dramatic as a singer like Fisher-Dieskau, I don't think it's a fair criticism. Gerhaher use dynamics and vocal shadings (shifts in timbre) for expressive effect throughout. An example occurs in the magical title track, "Abendbilder" (track 2), where Gerhaher skillfully builds to a climactic passage at the end of this lengthy song. Gerhaher shows a more expressive side in "Drang in die ferne" (track 5), about the desire to go travel away from home, wonderfully evoking the poem's passion, bittersweet as one knows the desire will remain unfulfilled.

Gerhaher's long-time accompanist, Gerold Huber, is an outstanding pianist and contributes in a major way to the musicmaking.

I also found the lieder selection in the first half of the disc to be unusual, concentrating on more somber and moody themes, another positive. The second half of the disc, beginning with the long and beautiful "Winterabend" (track 9) contains better-known material. So this is an opportunity to hear some incredible but not as frequently performed of Schubert's lieder. The liner notes, by the way, are very good. I learned that Schubert was warned by Prince Metternich's police forces after complaining loudly about a spot search of his residence, for example.

The only negative in this disc is the sound quality, which I thought was a bit blurry and lacking in detail. Recorded in 2005, it isn't the finest example of the previous decade's recording practice, but it isn't awful, just flawed.

Highly recommended.