For their recital as a benefit for the Dutch Cancer Society at Amuz on March 7, Ian Bostridge and Aaron Wajnberg chose only two composers: Franz Schubert and Benjamin Britten. Yet it delivered an intense concert, though the Amuz hall could easily have been more packed.
From Schubert came a selection of : Schubert. The Biography was performed. Bostridge took to the stage with his typical personality: seemingly stiff-formal while simultaneously possessing a distinctive manner of spontaneity. His voice is ideal as an expression of the melancholy that permeates the cycle. Despair and hopelessness dominate the songs, which culminate in a longing for death. The acrid, bitter timbre is part of the character of Bostridge's voice. In songs such as Freezing or Retrospection he embodies the emotion both physically and vocally. It is his appeal and fascination. The content of the songs controls him so thoroughly that through his experience of them he grips the audience to its very soul. Admirable how he continues to nuance and color his voice according to the emotion each song requires. The expression of his voice is inescapable.
The same applies to the lesser-known songs by Benjamin Britten, Winter Words set to texts by Thomas Hardy. Britten composed the songs in 1953, and they voice the acrid humor of Thomas Hardy's poems. The lost innocence of childhood delicately gives way to bitterness. Despite the prevailing tone of despair, there is here and there a hopeful note. Yet the bittersweet tone usually quickly reveals hope as merely a melancholic dream. Britten's setting naturally belongs to the "authentic" vocal style of Bostridge; it comes across as his natural habitat. The pairing with Schubert could not have been better chosen.
In Aaron Wajnberg, Bostridge had an attentive partner who was perfectly on the same wavelength.
Since it was a concert benefiting the Dutch Cancer Society, a brief note on this as well: the testimonies during the intermission were not only praise for the work of the Dutch Cancer Society in support of scientific research for cancer treatment, but also highlighted the painful shortage of empathy with patients in the medical world. Fortunately, there were also positive comments about oncological specialists and their ethical approach.
WHAT: Before Life and After – Recital for the benefit of the Dutch Cancer Society
WHOIan Bostridge [tenor], Aaron Wajnberg [piano]
WHERE: Amuz Antwerp
WHEN: Tuesday 7-3-2023
