Matthias Goerne Schubert Edition 6: Schwanengesang [with piano sonata in B flat D960]

"This new Schwanengesang is characteristically thoughtful and probing: we hear Schubert's lyrical heartbeat at its most artless and unaffected, outstandingly so in the ghostly stillnesses of "Die Stadt" and "Der Doppelgänger"… The second CD is devoted to one of Schubert's last piano sonatas, to which Eschenbach brings classical grace and refinement, never seeking to milk the Romantic doom and gloom."
(Financial Times)

"Some of those songs - Der Atlas, Der Doppelgänger - become exercises in gothic horror, others are slowed down to the point of inertia, though the group of Rellstab settings is generally buoyant and beautifully nuanced."
(Guardian)

"The distinctive mellow roundness of Goerne's timbre, at once deep and soft-grained, and his care for a true, 'bound' legato are pleasures in themselves. He and the ever-fastidious Eschenbach invariably allow you to savour the sheer beauty of Schubert's melodic lines." Gramophone Magazine, July 2012

"Goerne is showing an increasing tendency to capitalise on what he does best, exploiting his superb breath control in singing of hushed and seamless legato...[He] has both the breath control and the will to give full time and space to the long, long last lines of 'In die Ferne', and to bring to them a sense of dark despair as well as longing. He is also able and willing to dare extremes of pacing and dynamics in a spectral 'Ihr Bild'." BBC Music Magazine Choral & Song choice July 2012 *****

Matthias Goerne continues his Schubert survey that has already established him as one of the most gifted exponents of the song repertoire. Goerne does not merely 'interpret' Schubert, he 'lives' each song and invites the listener to share this poetry and musical intimacy.

This sixth volume also features an unforgettable performance of Schubert's last piano sonata by one of the baritone's favourite partners, Christoph Eschenbach. Offered on a free bonus CD, this 'second swansong' reveals hitherto unexplored resonances under his expert fingers.