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Recital by Angelika Kirchschlager and Simon Keenlyside
Vienna, Monday 19 June 2006
Some Impressions by Gwyneth Davies
An evening when Vienna was hotter than Madrid would hardly seem to provide the ideal conditions for a magnificent song recital, but reality proved otherwise at the Theater an der Wien on Monday evening 19 June 2006. The small and intimate auditorium of this lovely, historic theatre felt dry and airless and one could only sympathise with baritone Simon Keenlyside and accompanist Graham Johnson confined within the now surely outmoded recital ‘uniform’ of white tie and tails, whilst their colleague Angelika Kirchschlager had no such problems with the dress code. But, of course, to such professional artists the uncomfortable conditions made no difference at all to their performances and we were treated to a truly wonderful evening of songs and duets performed with both emotion and humour.
To someone like myself, with only a rudimentary grasp of the language and a limited knowledge of lieder, the programme of entirely German songs could have seemed daunting, but these singers made it easy for the foreigners in their audience. They treated each song or duet like a story and their every gesture and facial expression spoke volumes, putting across the meaning even to those of us who are not native German speakers.
Simon Keenlyside has been renowned in the past for his nervous, almost distracted demeanour on the concert platform. On this occasion, however, despite the heat, he appeared relaxed and at ease – possibly as a result of sharing the stage on this occasion with a clearly well-liked and trusted fellow singer and accompanist. The two singers’ easy and humorous way with each other and their little asides (often regarding who should be singing the next song!) revealed their warm personalities and lessened the formality of the recital.
I will leave criticism of the performances of individual songs to those better qualified than me to comment, but I will say that amongst the highlights of the evening for me were Simon Keenlyside singing Schubert’s Ganymed and the songs by Wolf, and many of the duets, including the charming Der Jaeger und sein Liebchen, which closed the programme. A final bonus was the encores – a wonderful performance by Simon Keenlyside of Schubert’s L’incanto degli occhi (never previously a favourite of mine, but on this occasion beautifully sung – I’m now converted!) followed by Angelika Kirchschlager’s beautiful lullaby, which sent us out into the night in a dreamlike state.
For me, the most memorable aspect of this recital was the obvious desire of these great singers to communicate with every single member of the audience. Their ability to move me to laughter and tears in a language I barely understand was quite extraordinary – a testament not just to their great skills, but also to the sheer power and beauty of the human voice. We are more than lucky that such singers are willing to share their great gifts with us.
Gwyneth Davies
25 June 2006