Christine Brewer, Roger Vignoles, Wigmore Hall | reviews, news & interviews
Christine Brewer, Roger Vignoles, Wigmore Hall
Christine Brewer, Roger Vignoles, Wigmore Hall
Unqualified rapture - Strauss songs find their voice
Wednesday, 09 December 2009
American great: 'Christine Brewer in Richard Strauss is about as right as it gets'
Wigmore Hall does not always take kindly to big voices; it’s an easy hall to over-sing. But when the singer is the American soprano Christine Brewer and the sound so open, so rich and effulgent, hall and voice become one resonance. It’s almost as if Wigmore is selective in its response. It warms to the right voice in the right music. Brewer in Strauss is about as right as it gets. And besides, regardless of the venue, Brewer has never sung to be heard; she sings to be understood.
Wigmore Hall does not always take kindly to big voices; it’s an easy hall to over-sing. But when the singer is the American soprano Christine Brewer and the sound so open, so rich and effulgent, hall and voice become one resonance. It’s almost as if Wigmore is selective in its response. It warms to the right voice in the right music. Brewer in Strauss is about as right as it gets. And besides, regardless of the venue, Brewer has never sung to be heard; she sings to be understood.
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more Classical music
Leif Ove Andsnes, Wigmore Hall review - colour and courage, from Hardanger to Majorca
Bold and bracing pianism in favourite Chopin and a buried Norwegian treasure
Chamayou, BBC Philharmonic, Wigglesworth, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - Boulez with bonbons
Assurance and sympathy from Mark Wigglesworth for differing French idioms
Classical CDs: Antiphons, ale dances and elves
Big box sets, neglected symphonies and Norwegian songs
Liepe, National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, Cottis, NCH, Dublin review - a spirited shot at Shostakovich
All energy devoted to a symphonic epic, played with total commitment
Davis, National Symphony Orchestra, Maloney, National Concert Hall, Dublin review - operetta in excelsis
World-class soprano provides the wow factor in fascinating mostly-Viennese programme
Best of 2024: Classical music concerts
Young and old in excelsis, and competition finales turned into winning programmes
Spence, Perez, Richardson, Wigmore Hall review - a Shakespearean journey in song
A festive cabaret - and a tenor masterclass
Best of 2024: Classical CDs
Our pick of the year's best classical releases
First Person: cellist Matthew Barley on composing and recording his 'Light Stories'
Conceived a year ago, a short but intense musical journey
The English Concert, Bicket, Wigmore Hall review - a Baroque banquet for Christmas
Charpentier's charm, as well as Bach's bounty, adorn the festive table
Classical CDs: Woden, waltzes and watchmaking
Big box sets, a great British symphony and a pair of solo cello discs
Messiah, Wild Arts, Chichester Cathedral review - a dynamic battle between revelatory light and Stygian gloom
This supple inventive interpretation of the 'Messiah' thrillingly delivers the story
Add comment