At the age of sixty-five, one might have feared for the voice of tenor Christoph Prégardien when he undertook to record all of Johannes Brahms's Lieder. Listening to this first volume, recorded in 2020, these fears have been allayed by a voice that has remained intact and a flawless technique.
Christoph Prégardien's programme here spans Brahms' entire life, from the Vier Gesänge, Op. 43 from 1857 to the Fünf Lieder, Op. 105 of 1888. Brahms's popularity as a symphonist and chamber musician, not to mention his piano works, has somewhat overshadowed the three hundred and eighty Lieder, for one, two or four voices, in his catalogue. It is the melodic line that Brahms favours in this intimate art: here, its form is often symmetrical and regular, and always of great beauty.
These qualities are particularly evident in Christoph Prégardien's performance, supported by Ulrich Eisenlohr's dreamy piano, with which he converses in perfect harmony. The text is enhanced with great romantic intensity. This is evident from the start of the recording with the famous Mainacht ('May Night'), the splendid Über die Heide ('On the Heath') and the joyous Versunken ('Engulfed') based on a famous poem by Goethe. In fact, all twenty-four Lieder of the four cycles presented here deserve mention, both for the music and for their inspired performance. © François Hudry/Qobuz