What a difference a voice makes!
Today’s CD (“Songs III”) features new performers all round:
Florian Prey baritone
Anna Haase mezzo-soprano
Norbert Groh piano
Baritone and mezzo-soprano are two of my least favorite vocal ranges.
I’m a tenor and soprano man.
That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the talents of a gifted baritone and mezzo-soprano. On the contrary, I can tell Florian Prey is an exceptional singer, powerful and controlled. Anna Haase is also quite pleasant. There’s just something about her vocal range that reminds me of church ladies singing in a choir, circa 1962. (Although I will admit Track 12 – “Gretels Warnung Op. 75” – is lively and fun.)
So I mean no disrespect to these performers. I can hear they’re gifted and accomplished. Their ranges are just not in my sweet spot.
The 16 tracks on Songs III all seem to sound the same. Plus, I notice that most of them at of the Wo0? designation, which means Beethoven considered them Without Opus (WoO) number. Whenever I see a Wo0 composition, I immediately think it’s lesser somehow.
NOTE: I’m in the home stretch listening to Beethoven’s music. There remains just eight CDs in the Beethoven Complete Edition published by Brilliant Classics. I’m looking forward to the next phase of my three-year journey. But I’m going to be sad to see Beethoven go.