Rising Mezzo

I'm a bit late posting about the latest BBC music magazine cover disk which features mezzo soprano Christianne Stotijn. The works featured are Brahms's Alto Rhapsody with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Jac van Steen, Mahler's Ruckert-Lieder with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Yasuo Shinozaki and Mahler Songs accompanied by pianist Julius Drake, the latter items extracted from a commercial release. There are no texts supplied in the booklet for obvious reasons of room in such a free giveaway but Stotijn sings expressively throughout. Brahms famously never wrote an opera but there is an operatic intensity to the Rhapsody that makes a very effective work. The Ruckert-Lieder fit into Mahler's Knaben Wunderhorn sound world and that of several of the symphonies. Certain recurring themes and motifs also crop up in the piano accompaniment. All in all, this is a worthwhile release and another of the superior magazine offerings.