Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg - Schubert: Lieder (1997)

She's not shy, this Anne-Sofie von Otter. Her performances are, to say the least, incredibly expressive. Her Suleika I (D. 720) is Brigitte Bardot in Contempt. Her Im Abendrot (D. 799) is Kim Novak in Vertigo. Her Totengräbers Heimweh is Eli Walach in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Nor is von Otter dumb. Her interpretations are sly, subtle, and very, very sensitive. Her Der Wanderer an den Mond (D. 870) is hearty and lightly but profoundly philosophical. Her Heidenröslein (D. 257) is earthy and artless. Her "An Silvia" (D. 891) is lively, lusty, and more than a little kinky. Nor is von Otter anything less than utterly compelling. Her Ständchen (D. 920), with the Ladies of the Swedish Radio Chorus, is an attempt to lure the listener into joining them on the moonlight sward of a summer's night. Her Ellens Gesang III (D. 839) (aka the "Ave Maria") bids listeners to fall on their knees in prayerful supplication before the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. And Bengt Forsberg is right there with von Otter, bidding for a place among the most sympathetic accompanists of all time.