Review Details
MUSIC IN THE UNIVERSITY TEATIME RECITAL SCHUMANN FRAUENLIEBE UND LEBEN HEATHER IRESON Mezzo-soprano and ROGER B. WILLIAMS Piano
Alan Cooper
25 February 2009
Zeste
One of the most enduringly popular of all song cycles, Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben has been recorded by a veritable host of celebrated singers. Versions by Kathleen Ferrier and Janet Baker must surely rank among the greatest. The everlasting popularity of this music stems not only from Schumann’s superbly beautiful and touching musical transfiguration of the words into something truly special but also from the universal appeal of the subject matter. Despite the hardened sensibilities of our modern world, there must surely be few of us totally unable to respond, however secretly, to the emotions of the woman depicted in the song cycle. German in any case was not the first language of the poet Adelbert von Chamisso. He was a member of the French aristocracy and his family were refugees from the French Revolution. His poetry cannot be that bad however since it inspired two other composers to set it to music. Versions exist by Carl Loewe and by Franz Paul Lachner one of whose two settings is for voice, horn, clarinet and piano mirroring the instrumentation used by Schubert for his Shepherd on the Rock.
It is however Schumann’s version that wins all the laurels. Above all, the momentum and flowing impetus of his music gives this cycle its startling immediacy. Schumann avoids using repeats in the text preferring to drive the story forward at full tilt. Where he does repeat a verse, a line or a phrase therefore, the effect can be truly telling. This is what Wednesday’s Teatime performance by Heather Ireson and Roger Williams brought out so well. The tempo and momentum of each song was so beautifully judged and even the slowest song still had that forward push that carried the audience along with the music.
Heather Ireson’s voice is maturing very nicely with extra reserves of the creamy tones that mark the true mezzo. Powerful projection and clear high notes were not lacking either and these were tastefully brought into play only where the music and the text demanded them.
Roger Williams of course has many more years of experience as an accompanist and without the least sense of jarring dynamic gear changes he was able to bring the piano accompaniment to the forefront exactly where Schumann would have wanted, then almost imperceptibly receding into the background when it was important that the voice should take precedence. The result was a performance by both artists where the golden thread of the music flowed uninterrupted. The chilling chord on the piano which brings in the final song transformed the entire mood in a split second and the beautiful coda at the end bringing back the opening music portrayed the inward memories of the bereaved woman most touchingly. This was indeed a fine performance of a truly classic song cycle.