Forbidden Fruit

International Classical Music Award 2024 Nomination in the Vocal category

“… The program offers a panoply of excellent songs and the singing is terrific, ending with a warm and radiant reading of ‘Urlicht’.

“… It’s all delivered with wit, intelligence and sophistication, and the thematic joins don’t feel forced despite the breadth of the material…”

“…The range of styles presents no difficulties for Benjamin Appl. With an unerring sense of design, great stylistic confidence and an immensely flexible, versatile and lyrical baritone voice, he easily switches from sensuality to humor, from fervor to pensiveness, from cynicism to the grotesque. He always succeeds in expressing words and emotions in music because he manages dynamic gradations and colors with nuance. Added to this, as further advantages, are the certainty of articulation and polished diction. James Baillieu’s clear, contoured, tense accompaniment is, for its part, also highly evocative.” ****

*** Good Album

“… The German baritone Benjamin Appl navigates between Schubert, Weill, Debussy, Hahn, Fanny Mendelssohn and more with ease, while the pianist James Baillieu has a crystal clear and light of touch…” ****

“…he [Appl] handles the various genres and styles with unerring feeling and taste and ennobles the more lightweight repertoire without condescension. Vocally, he encompasses all the technical demands and the beauty of tone as well as the dramatic requirements. Besides this, the choice of songs is discriminatingly sensitive. There is not a weak link here and the sum of the parts is even greater than the individual songs. To follow this programme, texts in hand, has been an uplifting experience, and I recommend that you make the same journey.”

“… it’s the gentler, airier numbers that show Appl at his considerable best, sustaining intensity even when spinning the tiniest thread of sound, his voice all velvet smoothness.” ****