Ian Bostridge - Perspectives (2006)

In what continues to be one of the most prolific recording careers, tenor Ian Bostridge continues his love affair with the art song with this new collection of German lieder, French chansons and English folk songs. Beyond his clean, full tone and crisp diction, trademarks of his for the past decade, he seems less tentative here than in past recordings and displays a more natural sense of phrasing and interpretation. Recently, Bostridge acquitted himself well on Schubert's darkly sonorous "Winterreise" in 2004 and maneuvered through the alternately dream-like and discordant notes of Benjamin Britten's "Canticles" in 2002.

Here his program reflects his impeccable taste starting with seven Franz Schubert compositions sung in flawless-sounding German ranging from the playful "Die Forelle" with its rolling piano to the mournful "Erlkönig" based on Goethe's tragic folk story about a little boy and the elf king. Of the Schubert pieces, I think he gives his best performance comes on the quietly majestic "Im Frühling" with subtly beautiful piano work by the singer's frequent accompanist Julius Drake. Bostridge then moves into four selections from Robert Schumann, for the most part subdued except for the escalating patriotic-sounding fervor he displays on "Die beiden Grenadiere" and Drake's halting measures on "Mein Wagen rollet Langsam" adding some welcome tension to the melancholy tone.

Six pieces from Gabriel Fauré demonstrate the wide variety of his music, which Bostridge covers with particular vocal flair, whether it means keeping up with the arpeggiated figures of "Fleur jetée" or evoking the haunting tranquility of "Clair de lune". The eight-minute "Fêtes galantes II" is a perfect example of how Claude Debussy introduced modernity to traditionally romantic music with bold tonal changes, and the singer responds with sharp delivery and a minimum of theatrics. The folk songs that conclude the recording are pretty though not as challenging. Bostridge does pleasing versions of Vaughan Williams's "Linden Lea" and a 16th century song arranged by Cecil Sharp, "The Death of Queen Jane", though neither is particularly resonant.

The last selection, Percy Grainger's arrangement of "Brigg Fair" benefits from a haunting polyphony conducted by Stephen Layton. Some of the selections on the recording reflect a bit too risk-averse approach, for example, Britten's artsy arrangements of "The Ash Grove" and "Greensleeves" are overly familiar. Regardless, this is a fine recital disc from a singer whose scholarly knowledge informs his interpretations and whose talent provides an unexaggerated beacon for the beauty of the music.