Schubertiade

A colorful series of concerts in Schwarzenberg

A well-deserved ovation for Paul Lewis.

(Bild: (c) Schubertiade GmbH)

The Schubertiade Schwarzenberg had a lot to offer over the past few days, especially the piano recital with Paul Lewis. Christiane Karg's recital, however, would have liked a little more subtext due to the out-of-time lyrics.

She had chosen "women's songs" for her recital on Wednesday evening in the Angelika Kauffmann Saal, Christiane Karg explained to her audience in a foreword. Songs by Schubert, but above all by Robert Schumann, namely his songs based on poems by Mary Stuart and his cycle "Frauenliebe und -leben" were on the program, which Gerold Huber accompanied wonderfully on the piano. The latter cycle is musically rich in beauty and depth of feeling, but the text by Adelbert von Chamisso must provoke every modern woman. So are "women" no longer allowed to sing these songs today? Yes, she can, but with a certain irony, please.

Christiane Karg lacked a little irony.

(Bild: (c) Schubertiade GmbH)

This is exactly the step Christiane Karg does not take. Although she sings in a very differentiated way, she only brings the expression of the musical moment to bear, but not the subtext. The same is true of Schubert's Gretchen Lieder from Goethe's Faust. Especially in the part before the interval, in Schumann's "Löwenbraut" and his "Frauenliebe", one also misses the big outbursts, just as the soprano's voice generally remains in the delicate valeurs. However, more sonority would be desirable, especially in Schumann.

In the second part, Ms. Karg's voice blossomed more and showed a richer color palette in Schubert's "Minona". With Schubert's "Ave Maria" as an encore, Christiane Karg finally won over her audience, even the skeptics.

An attentive togetherness
The Schwarzenberg audience proved that it is no longer averse to the unconventional when it cheered the piano recital by Leif Owe Andsnes and Bertrand Chamayou on Thursday. This audience knows both pianists from solo recitals, but also from chamber music evenings and as song accompanists. Although they are not a permanent duo, they are predestined for an attentive collaboration - piano duos are often siblings or married couples.

Leif Owe Andsnes and Bertrand Chamayou were inspiring.

(Bild: (c) Schubertiade GmbH)

Their program, which combined Schubert with the now 98-year-old composer György Kurtág, was also a pairing. The juxtaposition of the "heavenly lengths" in Schubert's works and the striking brevity in Kurtág's was convincing. And it was surprising how many similarities could be discovered, such as the abruptness of each.

A tremendous achievement
By contrast, Paul Lewis presented pure Schubert on Friday evening. Schubert's last three piano sonatas, completed two months before his early death, represent a legacy to mankind in their richness and depth of expression. To play these three icons from memory in a single concert is a tremendous achievement. To interpret them with the musical and emotional intensity that the modest Englishman did was rightly rewarded with a frenetic standing ovation.