Review: James Gilchrist / Peter Harvey / Peter Seymour, National Centre for Early Music, York (From York Press)

Review: James Gilchrist / Peter Harvey / Peter Seymour, National Centre for Early Music, York

7:55am Wednesday 15th February 2012 in Music news and reviews By Martin Dreyer

FOR the climax of its Lieder Day last Saturday – three recitals preceded by a masterclass - the University of York invited tenor James Gilchrist and bass Peter Harvey to devote the evening to songs from Schubert’s last five years.

Schwanengesang – Swan Song, his publisher’s posthumous title – groups together 13 songs. Harvey’s flexible voice, baritonal at the top, but with plenty of bite in the lower regions, proved excellently suited to the seven Ludwig Rellstab settings.

He chose an intimate style of delivery that sometimes bordered on speech-song, which fitted well with the restrained tones of Peter Seymour’s fortepiano. The tone became smoother as he cut down on extraneous body movement. Where Ständchen (Serenade) never quite flowed, Abschied (Farewell) was altogether warmer, with a smile in the voice.

Gilchrist took us into his confidence with a spoken introduction that helpfully distinguished the central characters of the song-cycle Die Schoene Muellerin (The Maid Of The Mill). With fewer histrionics than Harvey (but making good use of his beetling eyebrows), he got straight to the heart of the questing lad’s barely contained excitement and trepidation, peaking in Mein! (Mine).

There was sadness in Pause – there would have been more at a slower tempo - and sarcasm at the huntsman’s imagined rivalry.

He still had enough poise for a sotto voce elegy from the brook. It was deeply affecting. Seymour kept the stream flowing admirably at the keyboard.