The Songs of Brahms, Vol. 7 (2018)

Benjamin Appl Sings Brahms

This CD is the seventh in a series of ten devoted to the complete songs of Brahms. Each CD features the scholar-pianist Graham Johnson in a collaboration with a leading contemporary singer. The booklet accompanying each CD includes the text and translation of each song together with Johnson's extensive discussion of each song. The series, which has been completed, offers an outstanding way to explore Brahms' songs in depth. The format follows similar projects by Johnson in recording the complete songs of Schubert, Schumann, Faure, and Strauss.

Baritone Benjamin Appl joins Johnson on this CD, which was recorded in December, 2016 and released in 2018. Appl (b. 1982) was the last private student of the famed Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and has become increasingly well-known for his performances of lieder and of Bach. This CD was my first experience with Appl. I found his voice rich and expressive in Brahms with excellent collaboration with Johnson.

The main attraction of this series is the opportunity to listen to Brahms' output as a song composer and to respond to his music. Brahms' songs are not as well-known as those of Schubert and Schumann. As Johnson says several times in his notes, Brahms learned a great deal from these and other composers but also tended to go his own way.

Of the 28 songs on this CD, eight are from Brahms' collection of 49 German Folksongs, WoO33. Brahms took what he thought were traditional folk melodies and added a detailed piano part. The melodies were in fact not authentic folk songs but had been composed by others, Regardless, the beauty and simplicity of these songs makes them endearing.

The remaining twenty songs on this CD are arranged loosely chronologically and are parts of published collections with opus numters. Most of the songs will probably be unfamiliar to listeners who do not have a passion for and strong background in art song. As do the German Folk Songs, many of the songs on this CD show Brahms' strong interest in setting folk poetry and in writing folk song-like settings. Other songs are largely romantic and sad, with detailed and varied piano writing. Brahms seemed to be more intimate and self-revealing, particularly about his difficult relationships with women, in his songs as compared to his more famous larger scale works. His songs show lyricism. The CD includes a small number of fast-paced. lighter songs such as "Blind Man's Bluff", op 58 no 1.. These are relatively uncommon in Brahms' total song output.

The song that I most wanted to hear on this CD was "A Good, Good Night", opus 59 no 6, with text attributed to George Daumer. This song is in the voice of a frustrated you man who is turned away from intimacy with a young woman who cooly bids him good night. This song was set for piano by the American composer Lowell Liebermann in his "Four Etudes on Songs by Brahms" op 88 (2004). I have been learning the Liebermann etude on the piano, and drew insight and meaning from the Appl's and Johnson's performance of the original.

Other songs I enjoyed included "Nightingale" op. 91 No. 1, two different Serenades, op. 58 no 8 and op 70 no.3, and four rarely performed songs to texts by Maximillian Von Shenkendorf, Op. 63. These songs deserve to be heard and particularly in "To a Portrait" and "To the Pigeons" show the strong influence of Schubert on Brahms.

The folksongs on the CD include Brahms' setting of "The song of Milord Falkenstein", op 43 no 4 which tells the story of a strong-willed woman defending her man and a late song about the consequences of infidelity, titled "Betrayal", op.105 no 5.

I find it better to listen to only a few songs at a time rather that to play the CD through. Johnson's notes are invaluable, but they should be read separately from the listening.

I have listened to Brahms' songs for some time, but I am enjoying and appreciating them more in listening gradually to this set of the complete songs by Graham Johnson. I returned to this CD a few years after I had heard and reviewed the first six volumes. I also enjoyed getting to hear Benjamin Appl's lovely performances on this recording.

Total Time: 77:42

Robin Friedman