The ‘Winter’s Journey’, a bleak and menacing collection of 24 songs about a hapless wanderer, is surely one of Schubert’s most personal statements. It is fitting that Davislim’s full, rounded tenor voice, beautifully accompanied, is recorded in stunning digital detail (and Melba’s Super Audio surround sound) to reveal the magnificence of a spell-binding and compelling performance.
This music is the pinnacle of German Lied. Davislim’s phenomenal breath control and ability to float long lines impress, as do slight rubato or changes in tonal colour on words.
Highlight: Melba's CDs come in excellent packages; this one contains an essay on the work in the attached booklet, with the German text and translations in a readable print size. The whole fits neatly into a transparent plastic sleeve.