Christian Gerhaher’s partnership with Gerold Huber has led to some sensational concerts at Wigmore Hall in recent years. On occasion, their recitals have focused on the Lieder of a specific composer – the Schumann series a couple of years ago springs to mind – but this concert saw a wide range of composers, giving Gerhaher an opportunity to explore songs very different in tone and style.
Gerhaher’s baritone remains deeply distinctive, and as rewarding to hear as ever. What really shone through in this repertory was his ability – aided by the meticulous world-setting of Huber’s playing – to create a narrative from the very first syllable, to tell a story while at the same time emphasising the poetry of the text. Thus, in Wo die Berge so blau, Gerhaher, evoked with gentle shading the meaning of the words “Still die Primei dort sinnt, weht so leise der Wind”, while lightening and placing so much meaning upon “Ewiglich sein!”. Indeed, in the Beethoven cycle, An die ferne Geliebte, Gerhaher’s ability to infuse each song with a sense of longing provided that common sense of unity across the songs culminating in the force of the finale to Nimm sie hin denn diese Lieder, which took the audience from ritual solemnity to impassioned declaration.
The combined world-building was perhaps at its best in Mahler and Wolf. In Zu Strassburg auf der Schanz (At Strasbourg on the ramparts), Huber’s gentle, fragrant playing captured that sense of impulse – the freedom that the subject’s fatherland evokes versus the bleak and rhythmic world of the military base. Gerhaher’s baritone rose in the final verse, that glorious higher register firm and bright, almost ethereal. For the rush of blood, though, and to cap the first half, Wolf’s frenetic Der Feuerreiter (Fire-rider) was packed with drama. Huber was skittish on the keys, evoking the supernatural, while Gerhaher’s voice caught the sense of panic and Christian terror, drawing the audience in as fellow spectators to the burning mill. It was here that the scale of Gerhaher’s voice was really unleashed, filling the hall, perfectly at ease with the rapid pace and savouring every phrase.
Gerhaher’s facility with different repertoire was exemplified with the rewarding inclusion of Berg’s Altenberg Lieder. Famously premiered in a disastrous concert and then panned by Schoenberg some weeks later, these Lieder made a fascinating contrast, allowing Gerhaher to demonstrate a starker, leaner side to his instrument. In Schneesturm, Gerhaher’s full range across the registers was demonstrated, the glow at the top of the voice then particularly demonstrated in Über die Grenzen des All (Beyond the limits of the universe). From Berg to Beethoven to Mahler, Gerhaher and Huber’s programme blended sophistication with heartfelt emotion – a tremendously rewarding experience.
