Oh God,Mark Padmore singing "Winterreise" ... what to do now?
One of my favorite classical singers recording a piece I always find difficult and gloomy - but critics had praised him to the skies so much that I got intrigued and searched for this with greatest interest. After all, even my Bible ("Gramophone") heralded this recording like second coming, no doubt pleased that their own british singer tackled german Lieder and survived without embarrassment.
So I went for it,bought it and was pleasantly surprised because Padmore has such nice voice that I could listen him singing anything,including my old Nemesis "Winterreise". Maybe its because I am already familiar with the piece (how much I tortured myself with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, I really suffered with that one) or because I personally find tenor voice in combination with piano irresistible, who knows? I actually dived into classical music through counter-tenors (Michael Chance was my first discovery) so probably I have this affinity for high male voice. Padmore's german is surprisingly good and he acts just the way it was supposed to be - "Winterreise" is a terribly depressing story with main character walking through the snow heartbroken, big drama, I could really slap him to his senses - and I have to mention very good piano playing by justly celebrated Paul Lewis whom I noticed through Beethoven recordings years ago,they are actually a duet more than anything else.
Than again,no matter how I look at this from left,right and bellow,its still "Winterreise" and therefore not something I put up to listen first thing in the morning. I get depressed just by thinking about it. And strange as it is, that old Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau actually sound somehow more real to me,I can't put my finger on it why is it so but maybe because I heard it first. However, Padmore and Lewis followed this with "Die Schöne Müllerin" and this time around critics were not so nice,in fact they got some strange reviews that really annoyed me (lots of nitpicking) saying that Padmore's voice aged - like its been a fifty years and not two between these recordings - and in the meantime I found wonderful singer by the name of James Gilchrist who also recorded "Die Schöne Müllerin" at the same time, his singing i enjoy so much that he will be my choice for that one.
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