Hugo Staehle songs

[Friesner]

Just received my copy of the Hugo Staehle song recital on Brilliant 94492 (one CD):  Two sets of Lieder (six of Op. 2 and a set of eight WoO), two individual songs on different poems titled Gebet (the second of which had been set in a radically different way by Schubert, D.171), and - stuck right in the middle - a little Marcia for solo keyboard.  The booklet has notes in English, along with descriptions of several of the individual items; the texts are given in German only.  Performers:  Eleonora Contucci, soprano; Costantino Mastroprimiano, fortepiano (Conrad Graf 1826). 

Hearing Staehle at all is a major feat, and I have a suspicion this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Lieder lovers (count me in that category) will want this very much; that said, Staehle was no Schubert, no Schumann, no Brahms, but in the secondary ranks he is quite a bit above most of the people whose work I know from this era.  And certainly the disc is cheap enough so that even if you hate it - hard to imagine - you haven't lost much.  The same performers incidentally already did a Brilliant (label) disc of songs (& piano sonata) of Burgmüller which I do not have but have just ordered.

All that said, there are a couple of cavils.  While the pianist does a fine and very appropriate job with his part, the reverberating acoustic gives a wee bit much echo to an instrument that ought to have been a little less heavy.  The reason is no doubt the weight of the soprano's voice; at least the engineers have helped thetwo instruments match one another, but rather more lyricism is called for here I'd think.  This is not La Boheme.  There is also unfortunately a small amount of pitch difficulty in the top range of her delivery. 

But with all, even if not perfect, it's likely to be the best we'll ever get.  And it's worth more flaws than this has just to get to hear the better songs in these groups.  (There are some excellent ones, and nothing at all is in any way second-rate.)  Four stars, minimum.