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RECORDINGS
Choral and Song
ANNA LEESE, PETER LODAHL & ALISDAIR HOGARTH: "LIFE IS A DREAM"
 Songs by Haydn. Texts. Michael Storrs Music Ltd. MSM0012
Few, if any, musicians or music lovers would mention songs as being among their favorite of Haydn's works. He wrote literally hundreds of folksong settings, but considerably fewer original art songs. His German art songs mostly come from two 1781 collections, with some scattered later single songs, and the English ones come from two collections of 1794 and 1795. These strophic songs, whether in English or German, straddle the fence between the Empfindsamer Stil of the late-eighteenth-century German composers (think Telemann and C.P.E. Bach) and the vigorous, painterly early-nineteenth-century style that finds its apogee in the settings of Schubert. Selling them requires a singer who can be accurate while delivering as much personality as possible, since Haydn clearly was not moved to the customary high level of invention that we would expect in light of his instrumental works and oratorios.
Such a singer is New Zealand-born soprano Anna Leese. In this recital, her diction is clear and supple in both languages, though I particularly enjoyed the refinement and nuance of her English. Her tone is bright and forward, even at the quietest dynamics, and she delivers Haydn's grace notes with at times breathtaking accuracy and flourish. Her voice has bite, but with an undercurrent of appealing darkness. Whether affecting the coquettishness of "An Thyrsis" or the pathos of "The Wanderer" — one of the half-dozen Anne Hunter texts which seemed to have inspired more than ordinary efforts from the composer — Leese charms and caresses the ear.
Not so her partner, German tenor Peter Lodahl. His singing is almost remarkable in its charmlessness, even though his voice is pretty—or could be so, if he chose to use it other than in a dull and under-supported manner. Lodahl's German diction is true, but I actually had to look to the CD booklet to discern what language he was singing in English selections, such as "Sympathy" and "Content."
Pianist Alisdair Hogarth gives crisp pianistic support to both singers, but he only sparkles when playing for Leese (as with his fleet triplets in "The Mermaid"). Why the two singers share a couple of the songs ("Recollection," "Das Leben ist ein Traum") is unclear. They are not dialogues, and exchanging verses leads to unintended meanings. Even more mysterious are the large variety of bizarre photos of the two singers, walking and sitting on railroad tracks in modishly modern dress, or peering through the windows of a forlorn-looking farmhouse.
DREW MINTER
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