Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | 3 Michelangelo Lieder

Despite some fascinating, impressive and often beautiful moments, the consistent refusal to give the audience time to applaud, pause and digest what they had just heard turned the evening into a wash of death songs.

Baritone Matthias Goerne and pianist Daniil Trifonov combined their talents to explore the darker side of human existence in an intense, uninterrupted 90-minute recital.

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.

Bass-baritone Eric Owens is no stranger to Bay Area voice aficionados. After making his local debut as Lodovico in Otello with San Francisco Opera in 2002, Owens memorably created the diet-regiment-reciting General Leslie Groves there in the world première of John Adams’ Doctor Atomic in 2005. Most recently he did yeoman's work with a smaller role in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi in October.

Chez Berg comme chez Schumann, chez Chostakovitch comme chez Brahms, le duo propose une telle incarnation du texte poétique qu'on retient son souffle tout le long du récital.

Matthias Goerne cierra de forma sublime un nuevo capítulo de esta temporada de Lied del CNDM, acompañado por el gran pianista Alexander Schmalcz, y con un repertorio monográfico en torno a la muerte.