Customer Reviews

Schumann: Dichterliebe & other Heine Settings

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This is an exemplary performance. Julius Drake takes ample time setting the mood of each song. Gerald Finley uses his beautiful baritone voice to great effect, interpreting the text with an honest sounding approach. There is great sensitivity in his singing which I find very satisfying. Among recent recordings of this quintessential German song cycle my preference is just slightly in favor of Simon Keenlyside and Malcolm Martineau's recording which carries more intensity and a more authentic-sounding German diction. There is a bit more energy and spirit in Keenlyside's interpretation. But that is not to detract from the pleasures of this performance which is very fine. I think Keenlyside is the more intense singing actor in lieder with more contrast and variety in his moods. Finley adds some unique touches such at the end of "Und wüssten's die Blumen" a sneer in the voice on the words "Sie hat ja selbst zerrissen, Zerrissen mir das Herz" (It was she who broke my heart in two). Also the playful use of words and accents in "Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen" is most appropriate. I find Drake's piano playing absolutely top notch. He articulates the rhythm of each song with such complete confidence and mastery; better, perhaps even than Martineau. He is unafraid to stretch the limits of tempi and dynamics. What I find really striking in this performance is the strong sense of melancholy throughout.

Once again, the golden voice of this incredible man speaks to my very soul. I've always been partial to the tenor voice, but this rich baritone is superior to most tenors I've heard. One tends to think of the baritone in the role of the bad guy. I see Mr. Finley as the romantic hero. The talent, the looks..a perfect combination!! The the piano artistry of Julius Drake compliments the Gerald Finley voice in a magnificent way. I hope these two continue performing together.

How fair is it to compare a fine singer with great ones? Gerald Finley is a major talent, and since rising to stardom as J. Robert Oppenheimer in John Adams's opera "Dr. Atomic," Finley has been recognized fully for his beautiful voice and musical integrity. One word of praise that isn't heard, however, is charismatic. as he shows in this tasteful, beautifully sung Schumann program, Finley is serious about lieder, for which I'm grateful. But if you turn to Thomas Hampson, Bryn Terfel, and Thomas Quasthoff -- all baritones singing the same songs -- Finley is the least exciting.

He applies the same warm, engaging manner to every song. Where's the pathetic tone in the Arme Peter group? why doesn't he raise goosebumps in the tale of Baltthazzar and the handwriting n the wall? When a grenadier rings out the anthem in praise of the Kaiser, why doesn't he sound proud and patriotic? Good manners don't serve when what's needed is dramatic character. Even the rapt, lyrical Lotosblume, one of the best tings in the recital, comes off as restrained, the opposite of what Schumann, the quintessential romantic, is about.

In part the understatement I'm objecting to derives from the pallid, faceless accompaniments provided by Julius Drake. throughout Dichterliebe he paddles quietly at the keys without doing much else. Here the singer must portray the emotional extremes of a poet lost in the throes of passion and bitter regret. Finley settles for quiet melancholy on a rainy afternoon. Modern singers must listen to recordings; can't he tell the difference between what he is expressing and the far more intense feelings expressed by his rivals? Perhaps it doesn't matter. The reviewers here don't seem to care, or notice, and neither did the admiring critic from the Gramophone -- for him "Finley gives one of the most beautifully sung and intensely experienced performances on disc." If you say so.