Within two seconds of pressing the ‘play’ button it’s obvious that here is a disc of outstanding singing. Five distinct and characterful voices constitute Singphoniker, underlined by an intimate recording which precisely places each individual part within the stereo arc created by just two microphones. Yet when the need arises, as in Ein jugendlicher Maienschwung where, every few bars, the voices sing in unison, these individuals blend to perfection. This must be the kind of sound Schubert had in mind when writing his male voice part-songs, and if he had singers of such artistic and technical excellence at his disposal it’s no wonder he was so prolific in the genre. Although many of these are very early works, some apparently written as homework exercises by the teenage Schubert, every one is a real gem.
This second volume in Singphoniker’s exhaustive survey concentrates on settings of Schiller and Goethe with, inexplicably, a liturgical Salve regina thrown in for good measure. Clearly Schubert had great respect for Goethe; the settings of his texts have unusual depth and intensity; the sumptuous five-part Sehnsucht is surely one of the outstanding examples of Schubert’s art. But even for the slightest of Schiller texts Schubert unerringly captures the very essence of the poetry. Whether it’s basic, unsubtle word-painting (slow movement suddenly rushing forwards for “the future comes slowly on its way/the present flies away arrowfast” in the curious Dreifach ist der Schritt der Zeit, D69) or musical structure (the “endless joy” of D54 is represented by a continually revolving sound), Schubert elevates what could be little more than a corny cliche into something approaching high art. Creative genius on this level fully deserves performances as outstanding as these.'