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Essential Highlights of Jorma Hynninen
Ondine

Essential Highlights of Jorma Hynninen

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Details

Composer
SCHUBERT, FRANZ
Artist
Jorma Hynninen
Format
CD
Label
Ondine
Released
Apr 27, 2010
Catalog #
ODE 253-2D
UPC
761195025321

About

Hynninen’s artistry at least on a par with, if not superior to Fischer-Dieskau and Bostridge.

To celebrate its 25 th anniversary, Ondine, now distributed by Select but still operating independently, have released five bargain twofers in “a limited edition available in 2010 only.” Each comprises titles from their best-selling backlist to showcase five of their star artists: sopranos Soile Isokoski and Karita Mattila , violinist Pella Kuusisto, clarinettist Kari Kriikku and the singer featured here, baritone Jorman Hynninen.

“Essential Highlights” is somewhat misleading, in that rather than offering snippets, the programme provided here consists of telling accounts of Schubert’s two most celebrated song-cycles, both recorded by Hynninen in his prime in 1988. “Die schöne Müllerin” is slightly unusual in that it is more often sung by a tenor, although there have been many recordings made by baritones. “Winterreise” is sung in its most familiar tessitura – but again, we have had highly successful versions recorded by singers of other vocal categories, especially mezzo Brigitte Fassbänder and contralto Nathalie Stutzmann. Not being much of a fan of Fischer-Dieskau, I am unused to hearing a baritone in “Die schöne Müllerin” and take as my yardstick recordings by tenors Aksel Schiøtz, Fritz Wunderlich and, more recently, Jonas Kaufmann – although the latter evidently has more of a baritonal colouring to his voice than his silvery predecessors. In general, I feel that this music really demands a tenor voice to make its full impact, so I began listening inclined to make disparaging comparisons between Hynninen and his tenor competitors.

I have to say that his singing wholly disarmed my prejudice, even if I still persist in favouring a tenor version. A lot of his success has to do with the brilliance and sensitivity of Rolf Gothóni his accompanist – perhaps the wrong word, given the prominence and beauty of the piano part, but more of that anon. Born in 1941, Hynninen has been one of the pre-eminent Finnish singers of the last thirty years. He possesses a flexible, slightly grainy, husky baritone with a light vibrato, an easy top and rich low notes. He has performed very successfully in opera but is particularly renowned for his interpretations of Schubert, making this bargain set indispensable to any lover of Lieder or any of his fans who do not already own these discs.

His freedom and naturalness with the German text suggests that he is quite at home in the language, without sharing Fischer-Dieskau’s propensity for preciosity and for pouncing on words. I also happen to think that he has a more beautiful voice than DF-D, but that is a question of personal taste. I was surprised to find that the transpositions Hynninen requires are often by no more than a tone downwards and sometimes not at all. There are fleeting moments of strain or ungainliness in fast-moving songs with higher-flying passages such “Der Jäger” – but tenor Kaufmann has the same passing difficulties, inherent in a heftier voice having to take on such music. Hynninen counteracts the possibility of a baritone being unable to convey a sense of lost, bewildered youth by frequently lightening his voice into a tender, touching mezza voce and employing falsetto for particular effects, such as in the closing cradle-song “Des Baches Wiegenlied”.

Hynninen and Gothóni attack “Das Wandern”, the opening song of “Die schöne Müllerin”, at such a pace that I was temporarily taken aback, but I suspect that this was a deliberate choice to counteract immediately any effect of lugubriousness which a lower-pitched voice might engender. Tempi in general are brisk; both artists rely more on precise, calculated articulation of both notes and texts to delineate emotion rather than an all-purpose melancholy. They seem well attuned to poet Wilhelm Müller’s exploitation of that very Romantic technique of pathetic fallacy; as the narrators contemplate the rippling brook or trudge through the bleak landscape, their emotions are palpably embodied in the interplay between voice and piano and the listener is drawn into this world of metaphysical projection. Hynninen’s personae in both cycles emerge as very real and very human, operating in a vividly realised, naturalistic context.

Gothóni is simply the best pianist I have heard in this music since Gerald Moore; his playing complements perfectly the singer’s emotional range, especially in “Winterreise”. It is noticeable that its vocal topography suits Hynninen slighly better than “Die Schöne Müllerin”; as he moves from a haunting half-voice to a more extrovert and operatic register, Gothoni shadows him, unhurried and sonorous in “Das Wirtshaus”, nervy and agitated in “Im Dorfe, defiant and emphatic in “Mut”. Singer and pianist are equal partners, each varying the dynamics, employing rubato and momentary hesitations to heighten or lower the emotional temperature, particularly in “Der Lindenbaum”, a key, core song, whose opening affords a moment of repose before the stark intrusion of “Die kalten Winden bliesen”. The culmination of the cycle is “Der Leiermann”, that most haunting and disturbing of songs; Hynninen and Gothóni combine to evoke the strange beauty of the benumbed, trance-like state of a narrator “half in love with easeful Death.”.

There are literally scores – hundreds? - of recordings of these two song-cycles available at any one time to the collector and a top recommendation is impossible. Just as many adore Fischer-Dieskau, there are some who swear by Ian Bostridge’s version. I do not share their enthusiasm and as such am happy to endorse Hynninen’s artistry as being at least on a par with theirs, if not superior, although I would still turn first to a favourite tenor to hear “Die Schöne Müllerin”, fine though Hynninen is.

--Ralph Moore, MusicWeb International

Tracklist 44 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 No. 1. Das Wandern 02:08
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. Das Wandern
    Duration
    02:08
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  3. 2 No. 2. Wohin? 01:59
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Wohin?
    Duration
    01:59
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  4. 3 No. 3. Halt! 01:28
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Halt!
    Duration
    01:28
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  5. 4 No. 4. Danksagung an den Bach 02:28
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. Danksagung an den Bach
    Duration
    02:28
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  6. 5 No. 5. Am Feierabend 02:26
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5. Am Feierabend
    Duration
    02:26
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  7. 6 No. 6. Der Neugierige 04:29
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 6. Der Neugierige
    Duration
    04:29
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  8. 7 No. 7. Ungeduld 02:29
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 7. Ungeduld
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  9. 8 No. 8. Morgengruss 04:33
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 8. Morgengruss
    Duration
    04:33
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  10. 9 No. 9. Des Mullers Blumen 03:27
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 9. Des Mullers Blumen
    Duration
    03:27
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  11. 10 No. 10. Tranenregen 04:09
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 10. Tranenregen
    Duration
    04:09
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  12. 11 No. 11. Mein! 02:04
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 11. Mein!
    Duration
    02:04
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  13. 12 No. 12. Pause 05:00
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 12. Pause
    Duration
    05:00
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  14. 13 No. 13. Mit dem grunen Lautenbande 01:56
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 13. Mit dem grunen Lautenbande
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  15. 14 No. 14. Der Jager 01:10
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 14. Der Jager
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  16. 15 No. 15. Eifersucht und Stolz 01:31
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 15. Eifersucht und Stolz
    Duration
    01:31
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  17. 16 No. 16. Die liebe Farbe 04:41
    Track
    16
    Title
    No. 16. Die liebe Farbe
    Duration
    04:41
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  18. 17 No. 17. Die bose Farbe 01:56
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 17. Die bose Farbe
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  19. 18 No. 18. Trockne Blumen 03:34
    Track
    18
    Title
    No. 18. Trockne Blumen
    Duration
    03:34
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  20. 19 No. 19. Der Muller und der Bach 04:54
    Track
    19
    Title
    No. 19. Der Muller und der Bach
    Duration
    04:54
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  21. 20 No. 20. Des Baches Wiegenlied 07:22
    Track
    20
    Title
    No. 20. Des Baches Wiegenlied
    Duration
    07:22
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  22. Disc 2
  23. 1 No. 1. Gute Nacht 05:58
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. Gute Nacht
    Duration
    05:58
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  24. 2 No. 2. Die Wetterfahne 01:56
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Die Wetterfahne
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  25. 3 No. 3. Gefror'ne Tranen 02:24
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Gefror'ne Tranen
    Duration
    02:24
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  26. 4 No. 4. Erstarrung 02:58
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. Erstarrung
    Duration
    02:58
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  27. 5 No. 5. Der Lindenbaum 05:01
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5. Der Lindenbaum
    Duration
    05:01
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  28. 6 No. 6. Wasserflut 04:24
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 6. Wasserflut
    Duration
    04:24
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  29. 7 No. 7. Auf dem Flusse 03:35
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 7. Auf dem Flusse
    Duration
    03:35
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  30. 8 No. 8. Ruckblick 02:15
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 8. Ruckblick
    Duration
    02:15
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  31. 9 No. 9. Irrlicht 02:40
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 9. Irrlicht
    Duration
    02:40
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  32. 10 No. 10. Rast 03:42
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 10. Rast
    Duration
    03:42
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  33. 11 No. 11. Fruhlingstraum 04:42
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 11. Fruhlingstraum
    Duration
    04:42
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  34. 12 No. 12. Einsamkeit 02:56
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 12. Einsamkeit
    Duration
    02:56
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  35. 13 No. 13. Die Post 02:15
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 13. Die Post
    Duration
    02:15
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  36. 14 No. 14. Der greise Kopf 03:15
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 14. Der greise Kopf
    Duration
    03:15
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  37. 15 No. 15. Die Krahe 02:25
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 15. Die Krahe
    Duration
    02:25
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  38. 16 No. 16. Letzte Hoffnung 03:04
    Track
    16
    Title
    No. 16. Letzte Hoffnung
    Duration
    03:04
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  39. 17 No. 17. Im Dorfe 03:27
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 17. Im Dorfe
    Duration
    03:27
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  40. 18 No. 18. Der sturmische Morgen 00:49
    Track
    18
    Title
    No. 18. Der sturmische Morgen
    Duration
    00:49
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  41. 19 No. 19. Tauschung 01:36
    Track
    19
    Title
    No. 19. Tauschung
    Duration
    01:36
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  42. 20 No. 20. Der Wegweiser 04:24
    Track
    20
    Title
    No. 20. Der Wegweiser
    Duration
    04:24
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  43. 21 No. 21. Das Wirtshaus 05:08
    Track
    21
    Title
    No. 21. Das Wirtshaus
    Duration
    05:08
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  44. 22 No. 22. Mut 02:27
    Track
    22
    Title
    No. 22. Mut
    Duration
    02:27
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  45. 23 No. 23. Die Nebensonnen 03:03
    Track
    23
    Title
    No. 23. Die Nebensonnen
    Duration
    03:03
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni
  46. 24 No. 24. Der Leiermann 04:35
    Track
    24
    Title
    No. 24. Der Leiermann
    Duration
    04:35
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Jorma Hynninen, Ralf Gothóni