When Gustav Mahler composed Das Lied von der Erde (‘The Song of the Earth’), he envisaged two singers – a tenor and an alto – performing the cycle. In the absence of an alto, Mahler specified that the second voice be baritone. Regardless of the combination, Das Lied has always been associated with low-voiced singers. Famous recordings of the work include those by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Christa Ludwig and Kathleen Ferrier. German tenor Jonas Kaufmann’s new recording of Das Lied is, therefore, an unusual addition to the mix.

Not everyone is so impressed by Kaufmann’s Mahler. It’s not solo tenor repertoire, they say. He croons too much. They say he struggles. However, my impression of Kaufmann’s performance, recorded live with the Vienna Philharmonic under Jonathan Nott, is almost entirely positive (please note, I am not a Mahler specialist, just a Kaufmann fan). Granted, his Von der Jugend (‘Youth’) sounds at times strained, as though his larynx is creeping its way up to an uncomfortably high position, but I found his Der Abschied (‘The Farewell’) beautiful and moving. Kaufmann’s almost baritonal tenor lifts the poetry off the score. His enunciation of the German is absolutely delectable. Take, for example, the line Die liebe Erde allüberall blüht auf im Lenz und grunt (The dear earth everywhere blossoms up in spring and greens). His E emerges from the orchestra with a violinistic quality, and the ‘l’ of liebe launches his voice as it blooms and soars over Mahler’s pastoral orchestration, settling eventually on the final Ewig (Forever). It’s magical.

As is to be expected, the Vienna Philharmonic gives a spine-tinglingly good performance. Bright woodwinds sparkle during the lighter moments, and the strings and horns signal something more ominous during the more pensive passages. Kaufmann’s performance is imperfect, rich and impassioned, conducted assuredly by Nott.

Alexandra Mathew