Gundula Janowitz, Irwin Gage - Schubert: Lieder (1997)

Gundula Janowitz possessed one of those voice which provoke in the listener an instant thrill of recognition. Her sound is pure, true and fluting, of extraordinary power and penetration and enormous ease of production - which you can see if you watch a film of her singing; there is no sign of extraneous tension anywhere. Apparently not everyone responds to the almost unearthly beauty of her timbre - some seem to find it cold - but for me she is one of the very greatest sopranos, with a range spanning Bach to Wagner and equal facility in opera and Lieder. There are two DG double CD volumes of Schubert Lieder in which she is accompanied by her long-term artistic partner, American pianist Irwin Gage and both are indispensable. She was in her prime in the 70's and retained that crystalline sound throughout a long career kick-started by Karajan, who knew a great voice when he heard one and did not push her into any inadvisable or damaging roles, as he is accused of doing with some other protégées.

She is a little more restrained and cautious here than she was in live recital but still creates a gripping characterisation of Margarethe and some songs reach the highest possible plain, such as "Suleika's Erste Gesang" and "Du bist die Ruh", which conclude side 1. The repeated last stanza of the latter is simply divine, ending on a poised pianissimo A flat of surpassing beauty. Her diction is ideal and the evenness of her voice throughout its range a source of unending pleasure. The range of songs chosen her is rewarding, too, spanning Schubert's entire output of over 600 Lieder; I found that purchasing both volumes gave me several new additions to my collection in addition to another desirable version of old favourites. The concluding "Der Hirt auf dem Felsen" is a matchless performance of one of Schubert's greatest, most memorable and interesting songs; Janowitz' soprano soars skywards ethereally.