Obra: Wandrers Nachtlied I (Der du von dem Himmel bist) (Goethe), D.224

Der Bass Andreas Bauer Kanabas und Pianist Daniel Heide gastieren mit Schuberts Schwanengesang in der Villa Wahnfried.

Twentysomething Philippe Sly wields an impressive voice. Like the mythical John Henry’s hammer, it rings like silver in the upper register, the middle shines like gold, and his bass is firm as iron. From the second line of Henri Duparc’s “Chanson Triste” Sly interested with his way of rolling out phrases, englobing lines in cavernous spaces.

Those few seconds of breathless silence at the end of a recital before thunderous applause are a rare thing, and a sure sign that the evening has been a success. Such was the case at the Wigmore Hall on Wednesday night after Roderick Williams and Gary Matthewman were called back to the stage for a second encore.