Vittorio Bresciani Liszt Schubert Song Transcriptions

There is no shortage of recordings of Schubert song highlights, but this one by tenor Ilker Arcayürek is a standout. Arcayürek is a little less exotic than he sounds; born in Istanbul, he is fully Austrian trained, and is an alumnus of the Vienna Mozart Boys' Choir. His German reveals no trace of an accent, and the strong point of his performance is natural text engagement. Arcayürek's performance, in fact, although he has moved to Britain and become a BBC 3 New Generation Artist, falls into a long Austrian-German tradition that prizes naturalness of phrasing and diction.

This is a fine recital of 23 Schubert Lieder, including some popular favorites like Gretchen am Spinnrade, Ganymed, Du bist die Ruh', An Silvia, etc., alongside some less well-known works. Arleen Auger was a celebrated interpreter of this repertoire and sings beautifully. She is accompanied by Lambert Orkis on a fortepiano, so this is one of the few available Schubert song recitals with period accompaniment.

This is virtuoso playing in the best sense, and only the most churlish listener could fail to respond to it. From the fin-de-siècle decadence of Schulz-Evler’s Arabesque on the Blue Danube, to the more restrained treatments of Bach by Rachmaninoff and Busoni, Chiu finds exactly the right range of sound and approach.

Prima Facie presents Salon and Stage, the second volume of Kenneth Hamilton's internationally acclaimed Liszt series. In contrast to the first album, Death and Transfiguration, this recording offers a life-enhancing selection of virtuoso transcriptions from song and opera. But it happily shares with its predecessor Hamilton's passion for these pieces. He has sought out Liszt's oft-ignored recommendations on their interpretation and studied the reminiscences and recordings of his students. He has, in effect, tried to think like a Liszt pupil, and to immerse himself in a performance tradition that goes well beyond the printed text.