The Most Beautiful Voice in the World?

SALZBURG, Austria – Who owns the most beautiful voice in the world? It’s a ridiculous question, of course, but it may have an answer: Matthias Goerne, the German baritone. The first time you hear him, that voice is so shocking, you have trouble concentrating on the music. The voice has an almost unreal beauty.To be sure, Mr. Goerne has more than a beautiful voice: He is an intelligent singer, to boot. But that voice is a meal ticket, a calling card, second to none.On Tuesday night at the Mozarteum, Mr. Goerne gave a recital of Mahler, Berg, and Wagner. This was in the tradition of Salzburg recitals, the sort of program you might have heard from Mr. Goerne’s two most famous teachers: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. The recital that Cecilia Bartoli had given the night before – Italian songs by a variety of composers – was untraditional, though enthusiastically received.Even if you know that Mr. Goerne has a shockingly beautiful voice – because you have heard it before, or many times before – you can still be startled, when he first opens his mouth in a recital. You have forgotten, since the last time, how beautiful that voice really is. I have noted the same about Michael Schade, the German-Canadian tenor. And, sure enough, when Mr. Goerne began to sing on Tuesday night, I had to adjust for a few seconds to the wonderful shock of that sound.But a danger surrounds Mr. Goerne: He can succumb to a certain preciousness about music, presenting it beautifully and serenely, but without much blood or character. This danger made itself felt in a recital two seasons ago at Carnegie Hall, with Christoph Eschenbach at the piano. Yes, there was much beautiful singing on that program, but the two had an excess of awe and caution: It was as though they were afraid to disturb the music (Mahler and Schumann).So too, Mr. Goerne can succumb to a certain dullness. Did you ever attend an Elly Ameling recital? The great Dutch soprano never sang less than beautifully, never less than “perfectly” – but, oh, could it be dull. Mr. Goerne has much the same tendency.He began with a Mahler song that we infrequently hear: “Phantasie.” Mr. Goerne transported us to another world, and his singing was, in fact, otherworldly. He went on to eight more Mahler songs, these from “Des Knaben Wunderhorn.” And here he displayed many of his virtues: that voice, of course; and the cleanest onsets imaginable; and a beautiful, clear, often caressing German; and interpretive refinement. He sang, in this recital, a low A flat (or G sharp, if you like), and a high F sharp (or G flat, if you like).The higher notes were not as beautiful – not as free or burnished – as the lower ones, but you would hardly kick them out of bed.Some of the “Wunderhorn” songs could have used more muscle, more definition, more bite – more humanity, maybe, and less beauty. “Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt” would have benefited from more contrast and life. “Revelge” should have been more relentless, and more sturdy. And the last line of “Das irdische Leben”? It is, in English, “The child was lying on the funeral bier.” That line ought to stun and kill us. But Mr. Goerne was still singing beautifully. At least he doesn’t overdramatize, as so many do.Quite beautiful – really beautiful – was “Urlicht,” the song that Mahler employs in his Second Symphony (the “Resurrection”). You don’t often hear it from a man (because the symphony calls for a contralto). So wondrously does Mr. Goerne sing it, orchestras might consider throwing away the book and engaging him!He began the second half of the recital with the four songs from Berg’s Op. 2. The composer includes some tricky intervals, and Mr. Goerne negotiated them smartly. And he can sing a word or note in such a way that you remember it for hours after (or more): “Horch!” for example – “Listen!” – in “Warm die Lufte.” You wouldn’t think of not listening.To conclude the program, Mr. Goerne sang Wagner’s “Wesendonck Lieder.” These are the province of sopranos, but Mr. Goerne was right to horn in on their territory. Why should they monopolize this treasure? That said, perhaps the “Wesendonck Lieder” are best served by a female voice: especially for release on those long lines. Did Mr. Goerne take us into dreamland in these songs, particularly the last, called, in fact, “Traume,” or “Dreams”? Not really, not in my estimation – but he more than justified his singing of them.Accompanying him was Alexander Schmalcz, a Dusseldorf pianist who was adequate, sometimes a little better, sometimes a tad worse.And something occurred to me toward the end of the evening: I have heard Matthias Goerne many times, in recital. And never do I enjoy any song on the program so much as the first one. No matter what it is. The shock of that voice must be key. But, as with Elly Ameling, a beautiful dullness can set in.And I ought to revisit something I said at the top of this review. The most beautiful voice in the world? I should not forget that Leontyne Price is in the Village, still vocalizing every day. Or so she assured me, a couple of years ago.

The Most Beautiful Voice in the World?

The Most Beautiful Voice in the World?

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