Sorry to report, but this 1982 recording of
Schubert's Die Winterreise by tenor
Robert Tear and pianist
Philip Ledger sounds tired. Earlier in his career,
Tear had done wonderful things, particularly for English opera. But by 1982 his voice didn't have much height left at the top of his range, much depth left at the bottom of his range, or much strength left anywhere at all. From the first song,
Tear sounds tired and he just sounds more so with each song until he's nearly disappeared by the last song. It's not that
Tear can't yet understand the music or articulate its meaning; it's that his technique is so compromised that he can't project his understanding, much less convince listeners that his performance is an interpretative choice rather than a necessity. Pianist
Philip Ledger is an able enough accompanist and there are subtleties to his playing that merit close attention, but he cannot give lift to
Tear's voice or power to his tone. Sanctuary's sound is close but slightly fuzzy, warm but slightly cloying, honest but slightly gray.