Renée Fleming - Schubert: Lieder (1997)

Renée Fleming is a musician's musician. Not only does she possess one of the most beautiful voices in the world today, but she is a learned student of music, constantly searching to improve her craft. This disc of Schubert lieder is a testament to her all-encompassing artistry. As a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, Fleming learned this complex repertoire and has since included it in many of her recitals. She understands both instinctively and musically the equal importance of music, text, and piano accompaniment, and the need to constantly balance the three. Fleming and conductor-pianist Christoph Eschenbach have perfectly wedded these elements to create a disc filled with beauty, substance, and genuine emotion.
In addition to better-known lieder such as "Gretchen am Spinnrade," "Der Tod und das Mädchen," and "Ave Maria," the somewhat obscure "Viola" is included. A 15-minute narrative about the ups and downs of a violet, this work has been criticized for its florid text. Eschenbach elegantly handles the difficult but not gratuitous piano accompaniment and Fleming sings the subtler vocal part with grace and charm. This is an absolutely essential Schubert disc.