Mahler Das Lied von der Erde Piotr Beczala (tenor), Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Gerold Huber (piano) Sony Classical 19658795702 59:23 mins
Das Lied von der Erde, performed with Mahler’s own piano accompaniment, seems to be having something of a moment. Hot on the heels of a compelling recording by Claudia Huckle and Nicky Spence (Champs Hill) comes this account by Christian Gerhaher and Piotr Beczala, an all-male configuration sanctioned by Mahler, but less often encountered. Gerhaher has recorded the work before – with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra – but supported by his insightful pianist and long-time collaborator Gerold Huber, this rerun-with-a-twist sets a premium on intimacy, and, the instrumentation stripped right back, re-evaluation.
Das Lied is crowned by a final song that at nearly 30 minutes accounts for nearly half the cycle’s length. Bereft of its orchestral colouring it surely presents a formidable challenge. Yet the plasticity of Gerhaher’s storytelling is enhanced as, freed from breasting a large ensemble with exaggerated gestures, his default intimacy responds to Huber’s sensitive pianism. Enrapt, every syllable of ‘Der Einsame im Herbst’ is exquisitely shaded, while ‘Am Ufer’ sports an opening nonchalance that conjures the bucolic idyll with grace and a light touch. Less instinctively subtle, Beczala, however, often seems to be battling imagined orchestral forces, and at the top of his range can sound hard-edged and effortful.
Paul Riley