Appl/Baillieu: Lines of Life review – gifted baritone blends Kurtág and Schubert
Holywell Music Room, Oxford A perfect example of the Oxford International Song festival’s creative programming, Benjamin Appl’s unforced but focused recital was full of profoundly beautiful music Over 25 years, the Oxford International Song festival has adopted a creative approach to programming. Benjamin Appl’s pairing of Schubert lieder with spiny miniatures by György Kurtág was a perfect example. Your Schubert…
Key points
- Baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu performed Lines of Life at Oxford's Holywell Music Room.
- The recital paired Schubert lieder with miniatures by György Kurtág at the Oxford International Song festival.
- Young Artist duo Ellen Mawhinney and Daniel Silcock opened with an aquatic-themed recital.
Baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu performed their programme Lines of Life at the Holywell Music Room in Oxford, as part of the Oxford International Song festival. The recital paired Schubert lieder with short works by György Kurtág, and the 280-year-old venue was packed.
The festival, running for over 25 years, is known for its creative programming. The evening opened with a 15-minute aquatic-themed set by Ellen Mawhinney and Daniel Silcock, one of the festival's Young Artist duos.
Appl's approach to Kurtág
Appl, a German British baritone, has worked intensively with Kurtág. He told the audience that he sometimes spent an entire morning on the first line of a song, returning after lunch to work on line two, only for the exacting composer to ask, "Well, shall we start from the beginning?"
His delivery of the concentrated miniatures, many unaccompanied, was intently focused, and the Six Hölderlin-Gesänge set came across at times as profoundly beautiful.
Well, shall we start from the beginning?
— György Kurtág, as recounted by Benjamin Appl
Schubert and closing thoughts
The Schubert selection was linked by themes of love, longing and loss. Totengräbers Heimweh brought out a brittle, sardonic quality echoed in Schäfers Klagelied and Die Taubenpost, while Viola showed vocal beauty.
Baillieu's accompaniment drove the narrative throughout. Appl's voice occasionally did not go where he wanted when softening the tone, but such moments were few in a rewarding musical journey.
