Schubert: Schwanengesang; Sonata D. 960

Matthias Goerne / Christoph Eschenbach

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Schubert: Schwanengesang; Sonata D. 960 Review

by Blair Sanderson

The sixth volume in Matthias Goerne's survey of Franz Schubert's lieder includes the posthumous collection Schwanengesang, which contains some of the loveliest and most disturbing songs Schubert ever composed. One problem in performing this ambiguous work of Schubert's last year lies in its alternation of sweet, lyrical songs with those of a much darker and even frightening character, and it's left to the singer and the pianist to balance the moods and to make the contrasts of expression as subtle as possible. Goerne and his accompanist Christoph Eschenbach meet the challenge by carefully shading the songs with a tempering of expressions that admits sorrow in the midst of joy and hope in the depths of despair. On a bonus CD, Eschenbach performs Schubert's expansive Sonata in B flat major, another late work that displays evanescent shifts of feelings, and he plays with a natural outpouring of emotion that fluidly connects the music's high and low points. Harmonia Mundi offers warm and rich sound, which captures the resonance of Goerne's baritone and the fullness and smoothness of Eschenbach's sound, though the bass is a bit heavy in the recording of the sonata.

Track Listing - Disc 1

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Schwanengesang D. 957
	1	1. Liebesbotschaft Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	03:22	Amazon
	2	2. Kriegers Ahnung Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	04:40	Amazon
	3	3. Frühlingssehnsucht Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	03:26	Amazon
	4	4. Ständchen Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	04:20	Amazon
	5	5. Aufenthalt Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	03:02	Amazon
	6	Herbst, D. 945 Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	04:08	Amazon
Schwanengesang D. 957
	7	6. In der Ferne Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	06:33	Amazon
	8	7. Abschied Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	04:27	Amazon
	9	8. Der Atlas Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	02:06	Amazon
	10	9. Ihr Bild Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	03:47	Amazon
	11	10. Das Fischermädchen Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	02:33	Amazon
	12	11. Die Stadt Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	03:07	Amazon
	13	12. Am Meer Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	05:01	Amazon
	14	13. Der Doppelgänger Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	06:25	Amazon
	15	14. Die Taubempost Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	04:23	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Piano Sonata in B flat major, D. 960
	1	1. Molto moderato Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	21:13	Amazon
	2	2. Andante sostenuto Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	13:24	Amazon
	3	3. Scherzo. Allegro vivace con delicatezza Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	04:52	Amazon
	4	4. Allegro, ma non troppo Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Matthias Goerne	09:47	Amazon