LICHT – 800 Years of German Lied
Works by Vogelweide, JS Bach, Rihm, Mozart, Haydn, Eisler et al
Anna Lucia Richter (soprano), Ammiel Bushakevitz (piano)
Challenge Classics CC72965 73:44 mins
This is a sequence of songs in German ordered as if a spectacle of dawning light from the medieval ‘Dark Ages’ to the Enlightenment and beyond. Our guides here are the accomplished mezzo-soprano from Cologne, Anna Lucia Richter, and the South African Ammiel Bushakevitz who demonstrates his considerable skills by accompanying the songs successively on the hurdy-gurdy, harpsichord, clavichord, fortepiano and piano.
In the medieval song ‘Wer ist, die da durchleuchtet’ by Oswald von Wolkenstein (d1445) we are treated to Richter’s impressive dramatic style, though purists might be a bit startled by the anachronistic Monteverdian ‘trillo’ ornaments at various points (she did release an arresting Monteverdi recording in 2021). Mozart’s ‘Abendempfindung an Laura’ (K523) looks simple on the surface but is artfully through composed, and Richter leads each phrase into the next with subtle vocal shading and seamless breath control. In Schubert’s ‘Der Zwerg’ there is an exchange between a dwarf and a Queen which she nicely differentiates with her astute vocal characterisations, though the hurt felt by the dwarf (Schubert originally called the song ‘Treubruch/Perfidy’) could have attracted a little more tenderness. The most famous of Schubert’s ‘sunset’ pieces is ‘Im Abendrot’, though here the unusual stability of the home key calls not only for tranquillity but also for a tinge of hidden joy. Happily, the often neglected lieder composer Hugo Wolf is represented here by his ‘Der Feuerreiter’ with its spectacular accompaniment (adroitly handled). Also, Weill’s ‘Berlin im Licht’ brings out Richter’s flair even for the brassy popular style. For reference, the booklet has some of the texts in German but there are no translations. Anthony Pryer