Helen Charlston: A Poet’s Love Review – original and entertaining | Classical music

Helen Charlston is a very original talent on the stage, so it is not surprising that his latest sound on disc pushes him to an area you did not expect. At its heart is Dichterliebe, Robert Schumann’s take on Heinrich Heine’s poetry, and the unusual placement of a female voice. He supplements this with other Heine settings by 19th-century German composers, including both Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, and provides the first recording of the Knight’s Dream, originally composed as a Schumann piece from composer Héloïse Werner.

The latter is about a brave lover wandering in a fever dream. Charlston revels in Werner’s voice, which resonates with the crowd, her wine-dark mezzo-soprano savoring every drop. Pianist Sholto Kynoch, who spiced up the story by talking, humming and even tapping on the piano, is a real gem. A similarly brilliant performance breathes life into Loewe’s Die Lotosblume and Fanny Mendelssohn’s Schwanenlied, Charlston’s voice flowing like molten lava, every word clear.

As for Dichterliebe, it is an individual interpretation, all artists take time to explain their points. Im wunderschönen Monat Mai makes things better, the vocals and the piano stretch the other words to the limit. It is how he returns so often, which surprises the audience with the final measure of Die Rose, die Lilie and gives the nicht of Ich grolle. Charlston’s honeyed middle register captivates the ear, as does Kynoch, whose insightful approach to Schumann’s powerful postludes captivates.

Stream it on Apple Music (above) or on Spotify