Mozart's Lieder: Leblanc and Seefried

Mozart: Lieder; Assorted lieder by Flies, Brahms, Schubert, and Wolf
Irmgard Seefried with Gerald Moore; Hermann von Nordberg; Wilhelm Schmidt; London Mozart Players/Harry Blech
Testament SBT 1026 | Mono ADD

Mozart: Lieder
Suzie Leblanc/Yannick Nezet-Seguin
ATMA Classique 22327 | Stereo DDD (SACD)

Mozart's lieder after all these years still remains somewhat underrated. While never reaching the heights of inspiration and depth of expression that Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler, et al were able to bring to the genre, they still are exquisite, charming gems that bring much pleasure to the listener. Here are two recitals, one better than the other, that show what a fine lieder composer Mozart was.

Suzie Leblanc starts us off with her ATMA Mozart disc, accompanied by up and coming conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin, moonlighting here on the fortepiano. Leblanc sings with warmth and grace, albeit with a somewhat hooty sound that afflicts most period performance singers. There's also a tendency to unduly press the tempi as is the wont of period performance types. Nezet-Seguin plays very well, though the fortepiano sounds unintentionally comical, like a honky-tonk piano. The ATMA sonics have plenty of bloom and as far as modern Mozart lieder recordings go, this is excellent.

For those who can bear monaural sound, we have the incomparable Irmgard Seefried backed by "the unashamed accompanist" himself, Gerald Moore. As fine as Leblanc/Nezet-Seguin are, Seefried/Moore inhabit a completely different world of expression and color. The songs blossom and burst to life with charm. Has there ever been a more lovely rendition of Sehnsucht nach dem Frühling? A more witty and flirtatious An Chloë? Seefried paints a wide spectrum of colors with such natural ease. Moore, as ever, is superb here. This recital was released piecemeal on 78's, but quickly deleted when EMI converted to LP where it was quickly replaced by a recital of Mozart songs sung by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. As much as I love Schwarzkopf, she is no match for Seefried here, sounding too calculating where Seefried sounds utterly spontaneous and fresh. Included here also are recordings of Seefried singing lieder by other composers. A trio of charming Wolf songs closes out the disc with Seefried sounding just adorably girly.

You really can't go wrong with either disc, though the Seefried recital really is something special; a real treasure.

Itzhak Perlman plays and conducts Mozart

Itzhak Perlman! Where have you been all my life?! Seriously though, Perlman is a violinist whose work I've largely avoided. I have his Tchaikovsky concerto with Ormandy (very good) and his recording of the Korngold with Previn (shot down by muddy sonics). That's it. I just couldn't trust Perlman. All that treacly, crossover garbage he's recorded a la Yo-Yo Ma, James Galway, and the Three Tenors made me very suspicious. This can't be a serious musician, I thought. Merely a triumph of good marketing. How wrong I was.

I found this CD for cheap at Amoeba for about $3 some months ago. No need to keep that money burning in my pocket. I took a chance and decided to give this CD a good home. I'm glad I did.

Perlman, as expected, is marvelous in the Violin Concerto No.3 that opens up this album. His rich, buttery tone glazes this music with all the warmth and flavor it needs. Where a lot of contemporary violinists play this music as if they're ashamed that their instrument can produce beautifully modulated tones, Perlman just revels in it. Honestly, has any violinist played this work as luciously, as lovingly in the past 30 years? What a relief from all the squawking and scraping one has to suffer today in the name of "authenticity"! This may not be authentic Mozart, but it sure is authentic Mozart.

As good as the Violin Concerto is, the rest of the album is even better. Perlman lets the strings of the Berlin Philharmonic sing their hearts out in the Adagio and Fugue in C minor. From the moment you hear the throb of the basses at the start, Perlman and his Berliners grab you by the throat and seize you by the throat, gripping you all the way until the fugue wends its way to its severe closing cadence.

Finally we have a glowing rendition of the "Jupiter" Symphony to end the program. This has to be one of the finest recordings I've heard of this miraculous work in a long time. Has EMI pulled the ol' switch-a-roo on your's truly? Can this really be the same orchestra in all those anaemic Rattle recordings? Whether it's by virtue of Perlman's podium presence, a superior miking job by EMI, or just sheer good fortune, this recording has to be one of the greatest that the Berlin Philharmonic have made in at least the past decade. The Berliners launch into the work with uncharacterisically lusty and brawny vigor and infuse the work with plenty of blood. Perlman picks just the right tempi for the first movement and it swings along merrily. The second movement is just as lovingly shaped as you could ever hope for. The Menuetto is a just a smidge too fast for my tastes, but still very good. The finale is played with great bravado and ends with a very unauthentic rallentado worthy of Beecham--a great shout for joy. This is a Jupiter that would have made "Uncle" Bruno Walter proud.

I only wish that Perlman weren't so repeat happy. He sounds like he's never come across a repeat he didn't like. Some of them, like the first movement's exposition repeat are welcome. But I wish he had omitted the repeats in the finale. Impeding the flow of the music right when the music seems to say "let's get on with it!" But I have to admit that, while I usually don't care for the repeats, I certainly didn't mind them much while listening.

If Perlman and the Berliners ever record a set of the late Mozart symphonies--or any more Mozart or Haydn--I would snap it up in an instant. This album really changed the way I think about Perlman. If Rattle isn't jealous, he should be.