While it is true that with
Hampson and
Schmidt and
Quasthoff exceptional baritones have been thick on the ground for the past 20 years,
Dietrich Henschel may be the best yet. As he demonstrates on this disc of Schubert lieder entitled An den Mond -- Chant nocturnes,
Henschel has a strong, sensitive and supple instrument more than capable of giving the music everything it asks for: agile technique, powerful declamation, and long legato lines. But better than that,
Henschel is able to really interpret Schubert's songs, to get deep beneath the surface beauty of the music and probing the expressive depths that lie beneath. In this recital grouped around Schubert's songs about the moon, the night, wandering, grave digging, and, of course, death,
Henschel brings out every nuance of meaning in the union of music and text. His performances can be dramatic, as in Der Zwerg; despairing, as in Totengräber-Weise; transcendent, as in Das Zügenglöcklein; or sublime, as in Auf dem Wasser zu singen, but in every performance,
Henschel gets to the lyrical heart of the song. With the able accompaniment of Helmut Deutsche and Harmonia Mundi's realistic sound,
Henschel as turned in what may prove to be one of the best lieder recitals of 2005.