All of these qualities make his Dichterliebe a marvelous performance. He demonstrates that a fine singer can capture the anger innate to "Ich grolle nicht" while also conveying regret at the necessity of his defiance. That ability to capture nuance without violating a song's nature is the essence of the art of lieder singing. There's a lot of regret and sadness in Dichterliebe, as in virtually all of the songs on this disc, which might have been titled "Love Means Suffering". In the three songs of Der Arme Peter, the poor sap attends his beloved's wedding, climbs to a mountain-top to cry, and ghostlike, marches to his grave. All this grim stuff begins with an ironic wedding dance and never fully loses the suspicion that Schumann is parodying his own Dichterliebe cycle. Only the finale of the disc, an encore as it were, is free from this theme of unrequited love--the narrative ballad "Belsatzar", which Gerhaher sings with power. He paints the arrogant king of Babylon through the music, and then in a dazed voice depicts the stricken king trembling with fear at the "handwriting on the wall".

Throughout this superb recital Gerhaher is well accompanied by pianist Gerold Huber, whose postludes and frequent small but expressive solos within songs are as accomplished as is his support for the singer. Engineering is well-balanced, warm, and detailed. Text and translations are provided along with knowledgable commentary on the songs. Just in case you're in doubt, I loved this disc. [2/3/2005]