Four fascinating voices
FROM KONSTANZE FUHRLBECK
The prizewinners of the Fritz Wunderlich Music Days 2023 bid farewell on Saturday with a challenging programme in the Fritz Wunderlich Hall.
Lara Rieken, Annike Debus, David Jakob Schläger and Josua Bernbeck focussed on song repertoire and Mozart at the concert, accompanied on the piano by Peter Bortfeldt. The prizewinners are all only in their early 20s and surprised their audience with the maturity and artistry of their interpretations as well as their already astonishing vocal skills and strong stage presence.
All four prizewinners opened with the song "Es ist verraten" op.74/5 by Robert Schumann. Then Annike Debus and Josua
Bernbeck Johannes Brahms' "Es rauschet das Wasser" op. 28/3 from "Vier Duette".
When selecting the songs, however, the four young talents did not just focus on 19th century classics of romantic song. Lara Rieken captivated the audience with her interpretation of "Das Rosenband" op. 36/1 by Richard Strauss. Her clear soprano voice mastered the delicate, restrained tones with aplomb, but was still able to blossom warmly and beautifully despite the high register.
The first songs of Robert Schumann's "Dichterliebe" were performed by David Schläger. His bright, lyrical tenor formed a deeply moving contrast to the mostly sad, resigned tone of the songs, at times leaving the audience holding their breath. In contrast, baritone Josua Bernbeck and piano accompanist Peter Bortfeldt struck rapid tempi in Franz Schubert's "Auf der Bruck" D853.
The young singer brought out the feverish excitement of this ballad in an absolutely secure, fast parlando singing style.
The melancholy of "Der Wanderer" D 649 was captivatingly expressed in Annike Debus' dark, full mezzo-soprano. The young singers also demonstrated their skills in the field of sacred music. In Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's "So ihr mich von ganzem Herzen" from his oratorio "Elijah" op. 70, David Schläger captivated the audience with the clarity of his voice and the unshakeable conviction of his interpretation.
Lara Rieken then took an excursion into the light muse of the 20th century with the aria "Glitter and be Gay" from Leonard Bernstein's "Candide", a bravura number for lyric colouratura sopranos. She fascinated the audience with her effortlessly sparkling, completely unforced and natural colouratura up to the highest heights, which never became sharp or garish, as well as with her expressive shading and convincing performance. As a gag, she threw her shoes across the stage and continued to sing barefoot, at an ever faster tempo with increasingly rapid colouratura.
Excerpts from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's chamber opera "Così fan tutte" formed a centrepiece of the evening. Here, the philosopher Alfonso challenges two young men to put the fidelity of their fiancées to the test. First, David Schläger and Josua Bernbeck bid farewell in "Al fato dan legge" with a humorous interlude as soldiers who supposedly have to go to war, then the two women reflect on the new situation. In "Un aura amorosa", David Schläger tried to change the mind of his friend's bride; full of fervour, his bright yet warm, full-sounding lyrical tenor voice combined power and tenderness in an all-round harmonious, gripping interpretation.
Lara Rieken, Annike Debus, David Schläger and Josua Bernbeck created a moment of lyrical rapture in which time seemed to stand still in the quartet "Mir ist so wundervoll" from Ludwig van Beethoven's opera "Fidelio". Annika Debus shone as Prince Orlovsky with "Ich lade gern mir Gäste ein" in Johann Strauss' (1864-1949) operetta "Die Fledermaus". Her dark vocal timbre and lascivious performance emphasised the wild charm of this scene. All four prizewinners then brought the official part of their concert, which they had put together themselves, to a lively close with "Im Feuerstrom der Reben".
As a tribute to Fritz Wunderlich and Kusel, they then interpreted the "Kusellied", which the unforgettable tenor dedicated to his home town, with poignant intimacy.
