Remember the
King's Singers, the English, classically trained, all-male vocal ensemble popular in the '80s and '90s who released discs dedicated to the works of Josquin, Gilbert & Sullivan, and Lennon & McCartney?
Die Singphoniker is the
King's Singers' Continental equivalent, an Austrian all-male vocal ensemble best known for its superlative recordings of Reger,
Strauss, and especially Schubert. With A Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel,
Die Singphoniker has taken the same route as the
King's Singers by releasing a disc of pop songs. Indeed,
Die Singphoniker has taken the route several steps further by using a four-piece rock band as accompanists and a panpipe player as a soloist. The arrangements are essentially contrapuntal elaborations of the American singing duo's vocal lines over covers of the original instrumental accompaniement, augmented on many tracks by the hooty, breathy tone of the panpipes.
Die Singphoniker singing is, as always, superb, and its interpretations are no doubt sincere, but since the group doesn't seem to understand the meaning of the language, the sense of the words, or the nuances of the music. This disc is ultimately no more than mediocre performances of works that have already received their definitive performances. Oehms' sound is big and warm, but a little too reverberant.