VA - Schubert: Complete Songs, Vol. 34 (2000)

As Graham Johnson's Schubert edition rolled toward its conclusion, some of the volumes inevitably became catch-alls for songs that had not yet been shoe-horned into any of Johnson's earlier collections of Schubertiads. Before this volume of Schubert 1817-1821, there was "The Young Schubert" -- songs from 1810 though 1814 -- and after this, there was Schubert 1822-1825. But while that might not sound promising on paper, in the ears, this is as lovely a collection of Schubert songs as you might hope to hear. Part of that is because the repertoire is generally so strong -- any program with Prometheus (D. 674) on it is, to say the least, overwhelmingly powerful, in part because the singers are so fine. These performances are drawn from recording sessions for earlier volumes of the Schubert edition, volumes that featured such magnificent voices as Marjana Lipovsek, Philip Langridge, Matthias Goerne, Thomas Hampson, and Simon Keenlyside. They turn in performances every bit as good as what appeared on the earlier volumes. When sung by Patricia Rozario and Lorna Anderson, even the wordless vocalise of "Sing-Übungen" (D. 619) is transformed into a transcendent duet without words. Likewise, Johnson's accompaniments are also drawn from the same sessions and are as superb as always. And his 77-page program book is just as informative and entertaining as always.