Albert Dohmen

The recital by Albert Dohmen provides the public with a chance to discover an exceptional singer who is, amongst other things, one of the most talented Wotans of his generation. The sheer sonorousness of his dark, warm voice is fascinating, and gives substance to all the registers of the performance. His musical command and sensitivity are also remarkable in the most intimist repertoires, such as the romantic Lied, presented here in all its aspects and extremes: the wonder of love with sonnets by Petrarch set to music by Liszt, existential meditation with Wolf’s sober and powerful Michelangelo Lieder, the hallucinatory melancholy which permeates Pfitzner’s melodies, and the sublimation of death by love, which Strauss celebrates like no other. Befreit – ‘liberated’ – is the last Lied in this programme, and O Glück – ‘oh happiness’ – is the last sung word. This is, indeed, what the evening promises.