Ian Bostridge, Mitsuko Uchida - Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin (2005)

Lieder recordings by "dream teams" of famous singers and piano virtuosos are often indulgent, distorted, and interpretively generic -- more the result of marketing than genuine artistic vision. But there are always exceptions to prove the rule, sometimes tremendous exceptions, as is the case with this Die schöne Müllerin by Ian Bostridge and Mitsuko Uchida. It reveals the versatile Uchida to be as great a collaborative pianist as she is a soloist, and Bostridge to be in top form, responding to Uchida's deft textures and moods with one of his best performances yet. This is Bostridge's second Die Schöne Müllerin, having already recorded the cycle with Graham Johnson as part of Hyperion's complete Schubert edition. The Hyperion recording is pleasant enough, capturing Bostridge in the fresh early years of his career. But it never approaches the interpretive achievements of this latest effort, which surpasses all but the very greatest recordings of the cycle in emotional immediacy and musical revelation. Bostridge doesn't have the vocal colors, range, or warmth to carry the day on his own, or to erase memories of the great lieder singers who have come before. But combined here with Uchida, he manages an expressive tour de force that will likely be seen as one of the best achievements of his career. His snitty, grousing vocal coloration of "Der Jäger" reveals a petty hero enraged by his own masculine inadequacies. The understated ecstasy of "Mein!" departs from the anthemic approaches of many other singers, lending depth and satisfaction to what is often rendered histrionically. And the concluding songs, "Trockne Blumen," "Der Müller und der Bach," and "Des Baches Wiegenlied," reveal a hero wallowing in an unattractive self pity, the seeds of which certainly contributed to his being thrown over for a stronger man. Throughout it all, there is a sense of real persona, real discovery, and real experience. For her part, Uchida plays with a sense of completely new discovery, revealing shades of color, phrasing, and mood that have never been explored in quite the same way before. Most importantly, she knows how to play extremely softly without sacrificing vitality or propulsive energy, leaving Bostridge free of any concerns about balance while infusing every song with a bubbling rhythmic drive. Because Die schöne Müllerin is a song cycle, Bostridge is inevitably the face of this recording. But it is Uchida who elevates this recording to greatness, and who evidently knows how to extract the very best from her partner.