Florian Boesch, baryton - Roger Vignoles, piano Review Carl Loewe (1796-1869) was one of music's great mavericks. He combined a music directorship in Stettin with a successful career as a touring singer-songwriter, specialising in Gothic ballads that contained alarming insights into the extremes of the human psyche. In his day, his admirers included Goethe (who thought his setting of Erlknig greater than Schubert's), Wagner and Prince Albert. Austrian baritone Florian Boesch is arguably his finest interpreter today, and this disc is mesmerising. An expressionistic vocal actor, Boesch has the ability to change the sound of his voice to fit the character he is portraying; when he gets to the big dialogues like Erlknig, Edward or Herr Oluf, it's hard to believe that only one person is singing. Loewe was by no means always a doom merchant, and Boesch also takes us on journeys into comic ribaldry in Graf Eberstein and Tom der Reimer, as well as singing a number of his songs, all of them beautiful and inexplicably neglected. For Loewe, the pianist was as important as the singer, and Roger Vignoles is in his element with the high drama of it all. A benchmark recording, and essential listening. ***** --The Guardian,12/05/11This disc will appeal to those who wish his songs were more often performed --IRR,May'11Boesch's performance demonstrates huge imaginative variety in charecterisation(offering two different voices when neccesary,or even three in Loewe's setting of Erlkonig),and moving down convincingly to the lower register;perhaps he's really a bass-baritone. Performance ***** Recording ***** --BBC Music Magazine,July'11As for the singing,I cannot praise it too highly.Florian Boesch has a warmly attractive baritone voice and his diction is first class,as his response to the word meanings.If you are new to Loewe's music,I do urge you to try this richly rewarding CD.You won't be disappointed. EDITORS CHOICE --Gramophone,Aug'11