Listening to the youthful tone and secure technique exhibited on this recital, it seems hard to credit that Hagegard is now in his mid-fifties. The voice seems hardly altered from the firm, attractive instrument I first heard at the Wigmore Hall in the 1970s, except that it has grown in size and strength at the top, a feature advantageous here in the searing climaxes of Brahms's 'Aufdem Kirchhofe' and 'Verrat' (Nos. 4 and 5 of Fünf Lieder), the former rivalling a noted reading by Hotter, the latter a famous interpretation by Kipnis. Hagegârd's biting diction and sense of the inner drama in both songs is typical of his understanding of the genre. At the same time, he still possesses in abundance the mellow tone and firm line to do justice to such lyrical pearls as 'Wie Melodien zieht' and 'Immer leiser', Nos. 1 and 2 from Op. 105.

In Sibelius he is predictably at home, peering into the soul of these songs of longing. The most notable part of his interpretations of Stenhammar is the remarkable mezza voce he sustains throughout the two lovely songs from Op. 20, fine pieces, ideally interpreted.

Only in Brahms's Ernste Gesange, where Kipnis and Hotter are again the benchmarks, must there be reservations, simply because these grave pieces demand a weight of tone Hagegard's almost heroic baritone doesn't possess. At least that's true of his accounts of the first two, deeply depressing pieces. In the consolation of the second half of the third song and the beam of New Testament light of the finale, the flexibility and range of the baritone's performance is splendidly apt. Warren Jones is an adaptable and sensitive player. The slightly too reverberant recording shouldn't deter anyone from acquiring this thoughtful and rewarding programme.

-- Gramophone [8/1999]