Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin – Christopher Maltman, Graham Johnson

This is the first instalment of the acclaimed baritone Christopher Maltman’s Wigmore Hall Live recordings of Schubert’s three major song cycles, Die schöne Müllerin, Winterreise, and Schwanengesang. Recorded over a series of live dates, Maltman has collaborated with one of the world’s foremost authorities on the lieder repertoire, the piano accompanist Graham Johnson.

Described by Maltman as the ‘pinnacle of the lieder repertoire’ the Schubert’s song cycles are among the most demanding works in the whole repertoire, more often undertaken by the tenor voice.

Die schöne Müllerin was Schubert’s first complete song cycle, composed at the age of just twenty-six. Running the gamut of the emotional spectrum, the work requires the singer to draw upon a full range of moods, from raw emotional turmoil and unpredictability, to introspection and ultimately resignation.

Maltman states that the work requires a ‘certain vulnerability’ in its portrayal of the lovelorn young miller, and to achieve this, he and Johnson chose to transpose several of the songs back up to the outer reaches of the baritone range, closer to that of the tenor. The duo’s decision to take the voice out of its comfort zone and embrace the tension this produces undeniably adds to the colour and characterisation which Maltman brings to the work: ‘These musical masterpieces present an endless pursuit and a constant re-examination.’

Maltman’s teaming with Graham Johnson is a triumphant partnership. Described by Maltman as the ‘definitive accompanist who leaves no stone unturned’, Johnson is one of today’s leading authorities on Schubert’s lieder.