Having heard George perform in the Singing Competition and in recent informal concerts, this recital of Lieder promised to be excellent and did not disappoint. It was pleasing to see one so young take on the challenge of communicating with such emotional maturity in a foreign language. Schubert’s An die Musik was a lovely opening offering, showing George’s lovely lower-middle range with warmth of tone and good consonants. A good onset in Wiegenlied allowed the right sense of tenderness for a lullaby – he made the text lead the phrasing and vocal line with ease and direction. Lachen und Weinen, with its juxtapositions in themes, was beautifully sung, though could certainly benefit from more expressive contrast to highlight the conflict, which is so common in these Romantic poems. Brahms’ Dein blaues Auge is becoming a new favourite of mine, here George sang the words with great feeling and meaning, whilst managing the technical demands of the song well as it requires plenty of control in changing registers. Ich liebe dich, no small sentiment and nor is it a small song of Beethoven’s to execute, leaving little room for breath. Even so, George did well to support the phrases and maintained a lovely tone. Back to Brahms for Sonntag, this was assured and confident. The phrases beginning on the high G’s were well-managed at this point in the recital where fatigue can start to impact on technique. Last but certainly not least, Widmung by Schumann made an excellent end to the recital, conveying both intimate pausing and a breathless excitement about being in love for all of its joy and struggle.
