There are subtleties to note in this album of lieder by baritone Matthias Goerne. There's the substantial presence of Hans Pfitzner, for example, not usually mentioned in the same breath as Wagner and Richard Strauss but represented here by some exceptionally lovely songs, including an Abendrot (not the same text as the more famous Strauss Im Abendrot from the Four Last Songs that closes the show in smashing fashion). It's a testimony to how notions like "progressive" and "conservative" tend to fall away as a tradition is examined more deeply. Pfitzner was a conservative who answered proponents of new styles with the contention that perhaps music had already reached its high point, but his Abendrot is harmonically (although not structurally) more complex than that of Strauss, and in general, his music fits right in with the rest of the program. For another interesting point, it's notable that Goerne seems to be making an effort to seek out rising young accompanists rather than continuing with established partners; first, there was Jan Lisiecki, and this time it's Chopin Piano Competition winner Seong-Jin Cho, who delivers distinctively muscular readings. Ultimately this album is about one thing, namely, that Goerne's voice has reached an absolute peak and that the repertory here displays it at its absolute best. Pick your adjective: it's rich, it's burnished, it's philosophical, it's quietly shining with a lifetime of experience. Whatever your choice, this is a lieder album to treasure.
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