Antonín Dvořák - Songs (Bernarda Fink; Roger Vignoles)

Information

Composer: Antonín Dvořák

• Love Songs, Op. 83
• Songs from the Dvůr Králové Manuscript, Op. 7
• Songs, Op. 2
• Songs on Texts by Eliska Krásnohorska
• Songs, Op. 82
• In Folk Tone, Op. 73
• Gipsy Songs, Op. 55

Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano

Roger Vignoles, piano

Date: 2004

Label: harmonia mundi

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Review

An all-Dvorák song recital may still seem a luxury. The Gypsy Songs, and not just their famous fourth (‘Songs my mother taught me’), have found a secure place in the repertoire, but not much else is heard at all regularly either in recital or on disc. They may lack the variety of mood to constitute a fully satisfying programme on their own, but at no point do they fail to give pleasure or to suggest that greater rewards will be in store on repeated listening.

Reviewing Magdalena Kozená’s recital with Graham Johnson, Hugh Canning speculated on the causes of the continued unfamiliarity of the B160 set: each of the eight songs he thought ‘such a masterpiece that their rarity on disc can presumably only be explained by the fact that Czech is an alien language to most recitalists’. Not, however, to the Argentinian mezzo Bernarda Fink, who comes from a Slovenian family, lived in Prague for a while and has made a special study of Czech music. Her diction is certainly very clear: following the transliterated texts presents no obstacles, which is not always the case. Her tone is richer and deeper than Kozená’s, and the manner has warmth and dignity, though here, as at a recent Wigmore Hall recital, these seem to be its limits.

If you come to the Gypsy Songs with Anne Sofie van Otter’s recording sounding in preparation, you’ll miss, in Fink’s singing, a whole lot of colour, imagination and temperament. There may be some relief, too. Bengt Forsberg is ever-present, his grand piano letting you know, rather in the manner of a brilliant poster or loud film-trailer, that the gypsies are coming to town. Von Otter (in German) remembers that gypsies are supposed to be hot-blooded, sensual and a bit dangerous. Their recording is exciting but assertive. Fink and Vignoles, I fancy, may prove more companionable.

Hugh Canning also mentioned in his review the now-deleted Benacková-Firkuzny recital (RCA, 1/94), and this goes further, seeking out the delicacy and tenderness. That’s still the one for me. But this new issue is more than welcome: tasteful and often lovely performances and a generously comprehensive selection.

— John Steane

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Antonín Dvořák (September 8, 1841 – May 1, 1904) was a Czech composer. He was the second Czech composer to achieve worldwide recognition, after Bedřich Smetana. Following Smetana's nationalist example, many of Dvořák's works show the influence of Czech folk music, such as his  two sets of Slavonic Dances, the Symphonic Variations, and the overwhelming majority of his songs. Dvořák wrote in a variety of forms: nine symphonies, ten operas, three concertos, several symphonic poems, serenades for string orchestra and wind ensemble, more than 40 works of chamber music, and piano music.

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Bernarda Fink (born 29 August 1955) is an Argentinean mezzo-soprano. Born in Buenos Aires to Slovenian parents, she studied music at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón. After winning the Nuevas Voces Liricas competition in 1985, she moved to Europe and subsequently built a distinguished international career. Fink has performed with world-renowned orchestras such as the Vienna and London Philharmonics, and at major venues including the Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, and Sydney Opera House. She has made over fifty recordings with a repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Brahms and Bruckner.

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Roger Vignoles (born 12 July 1945) is a renowned British pianist and accompanist celebrated for his expressive playing and sensitivity to text. He has performed in major venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall, and regularly appears at leading international festivals. Vignoles has collaborated with many esteemed singers such as Bernarda Fink, Susan Graham, Roderick Williams and Florian Boesch, and his extensive discography spans works by Strauss, Britten, and Hahn. A passionate educator, he teaches globally and holds positions at the Royal College of Music and Magdalene College, Cambridge.

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