SCHUBERT: DIE SCHONE MULLERIN

Hagegard and Ax allow Schubert to speak for himself in sensible, moderate speeds and discreet phrasing, coming perhaps closer to a truly Schubertian ideal than more celebrated interpreters of this work. With the galaxy of distinguished versions by the baritones and their equally distinguished pianists listed above, forgetting for a moment tenor readings, is there room for yet another? When it is as rewarding as this one, the answer is a decided 'Yes'. I have admired Hagegard in Lieder ever since he announced his considerable credentials in the field almost 20 years ago in London's Wigmore Hall. Based largely in the US, he has returned here too infrequently but always to his audiences' pleasure. This disc tells us just why. Simply as a voice his is perhaps superior to that of any of those singers listed above. It is, paradoxically, a light yet heroic sound, typically Swedish in timbre, flexible throughout its range and—relevant to the work in hand—tenor-like in tone. Its owner uses