Brahms - Vier Ernste Gesänge

The Guardian 60

Goerne/Eschenbach
(Harmonia Mundi)

The longstanding duo of baritone Matthias Goerne and conductor/pianist Christoph Eschenbach bring well-signposted stormy grandeur to a collection of Brahms songs, culminating in a rich-hued account of the Four Serious Songs Opus 111. Occasionally, bombast gets the better of Goerne – Wehe, So Willst Du Mich Wieder from the Opus 32 set is all shout and bluster – and at times he overdoes the big, husky breaths that are part of his sound. But his gravelly low notes can be glorious, his long phrases are powerful and his high pianissimos are especially poignant in Mondenschein, Op 85. The finest-grained colours come from the piano: Eschenbach knows when to push and when to linger, and he has a lovely knack of catching Goerne at the crest of a phrase and then adding his own quiet commentary.