The successful, longtime partnership of bass-baritone
Gerald Finley
and pianist
Julius Drake
continues here with
Die schoene Muellerin
, following the pair's well-received recordings of
Winterreise
and
Schwanengesang
.
Finley
's voice is rich and full, considerably darker than many other baritones who have recorded this work. Though a lighter voice may be preferred by some to convey the youth of the tragic miller,
convincingly conveys the emotion of
Wilhelm Mueller
's story, and not only in the second half of the cycle as the wandering miller loses the affection of the "fair maid of the mill," where one may expect the powerful voice to be more befitting. Consider the third movement, "Halt!," where
's heroic tone is on full display. This is also a good illustration of
Drake
's ability, leaving little question as to why he is so popular as an accompanist. There are a plethora of options available for this cycle, from the legendary interpretations by baritone
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
with
Gerald Moore
to a
countertenor version
that appeared the same year as this one (
Iestyn Davies
Joseph Middleton
), but
offer an emotional, almost operatic reading that is worthy of attention. Another attraction is the pristine sound from Henry Wood Hall, with
Hyperion
providing listeners with an intimate private concert experience. ~ Keith Finke