Over a decade after Wolfgang Holzmair’s Cal Performances debut failed to fulfill the expectations heightened by his many beautifully voiced recordings, he at last returns. At what may be the tail end of his career — he was born in 1952, and is reportedly still in excellent voice — this most sensitive artist presents what many consider the pinnacle of the classic German song repertoire, Schubert’s emotionally chilling, potentially cathartic Winterreise (Winter journey). The emotional immediacy of the songs, not to mention the extraordinary demands they place on an artist, make this a must-hear recital.
Jason Victor Serinus regularly reviews music and audio for Stereophile, SFCV, Classical Voice North America, AudioStream, American Record Guide, and other publications. The whistling voice of Woodstock in She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown, the longtime Oakland resident now resides in Port Townsend, Washington.