Catriona Morison, mezzo & Malcolm Martineau, piano: German romantic songs by Brahms, Strauss, Mahler and Berg:
I had various lunch time music options today when in London but I decided to go for the LSO St Lukes Radio 3 lunchtime concert, which was part of a series focusing on R. Strauss’ chamber music, and therefore in this recital included some of his songs.
I had not come across Catriona Morison before. She’s clearly making a name for herself and, in her mid 30’s, has various European engagements in recitals and operas, including Fricka in Die Walkure. Her voice seemed very well-controlled, very flexible, and she offered some sensitive phrasing – nothing felt uncomfortable about what she sang, and also she gave a good projection of the dramas of each poem, and her German sounded pretty good too…….She was also on top of the issue of how to stand in front of a piano without looking awkward for an hour and a quarter
It is surprising to me just how much more attractive the Mahler songs compared to anyone else’s in this programme, and Ms Morison probably gave her best performance in these songs – a lovely and passionate ‘Urlicht’, a bright-eyed ‘Wer hat dies liedlein erdacht’, and a ‘Rheinlegendchen’ sung with a beautiful lilt. I liked the last of the 4 Brahms songs she sung – ‘Auf dem Kirchhofe’, which ends with a beautiful chorale-like melody. The R Strauss songs – very early ones – were frankly a bit dull but I liked the Berg Op 2 songs, the last one, ‘Warm die Lufte’ drifting off into atonality.
The veteran accompanist Malcolm Martineau again had particular fun with the Mahler, I felt………….
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