This recording of Schumann songs and duets grew out of a performance at the 1991 New York Festival of Song featuring mezzo-soprano
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and baritone Kurt Ollmann, accompanied by Michael Barrett, one of the festival's founders. Ollmann sings the 12 songs of Schumann's Kerner Lieder. His voice isn't large, but it's rich and dark, with a very fine legato, and he sings with intelligence and real understanding.
Lieberson sings four songs from the Mignon Lieder and three other songs. The intensity she brings to the music makes her performance immediately gripping; her emotional commitment and interpretive passion really shine here. The warmth of her tone also stands out, and her ability to project a ringing strength, as well as exceptional suppleness of phrasing.
Lieberson's and Ollmann's voices are well matched and blend beautifully in their three duets, which are particularly lovely. Er und Sie, also a setting of a text by Kerner, is especially rhapsodic in their committed performance, and the album ends with the poignant and mysterious Wiegenlied. Barrett's accompaniment is exceptionally responsive and sensitive. The piano Barrett uses is smaller than a standard concert grand, but it's somewhat bright for this repertoire, which could use an instrument with more warmth. The sound clean, but is set a little low, so the listener may need to boost the volume. The balance is good, and the sound is immediate, with an excellent sense of presence.