No,
Christa Ludwig was never the most gorgeous mezzo out there. But that's okay: when she was in the right repertoire, she was unbeatable. And the right repertoire includes every single song on this two-disc set of Schubert songs.
Ludwig rightly stays away from the Sulieka settings, but her performance of Gretchen am Spinnrade, D. 118, is overwhelmingly passionate. And the rest of the discs from her terrifyingly sympathetic Der Tod und das Mädchen, D. 531; through her fervently prayerful Ellens Gesang III ("Ave Maria"), D. 839; to her mournful Sehnsucht, D. 636B, her frightful Der Zwerg, D. 771; her vengeful Lied der Anne Lyle, D. 830; is simply some of the best Schubert singing ever recorded. And her Mignon songs are ever better: deeply, painfully, and profoundly moving performances that are heartbreaking in their intensity.
Irwin Gage is a more than adequate, if less than inspiring accompanist. But he never takes anything away from
Ludwig's stunning performances.