“It takes a brave soul to release an all-Brahms song recording – Brahms himself discouraged the performance of more than a few of his songs in a concert – but Anna Lucia Richter and Ammiel Bushakevitz do such a fine job, surely even he would have approved. ”
Brahms Lieder performed by Anna Lucia Richter and Ammiel Bushakevitz, received a 5-star review and was selected as a Choral & Song Choice in BBC Music Magazine November 2022 issue!
“Mostly established favourites from both the art- and folksongs, the programme is nicely linked by harmonic and textural relationships.
The lower female voice was Brahms’s favourite vocal type, and Richter’s has a warmly sensual sound which is multidimensional without heaviness, with impressively effortless breath control. Together with Bushakevitz’s expressive, energetic and flexible piano-playing, on a bright, active instrument, they make delightful musical chemistry, jointly crafting confident, exuberant characters in compelling technicolour performances.
These musicians have a dynamic understanding of text, and find the right balance between architectural sweep, fidelity to notated details and freedom, imagination and flexibility. While they offer no repertoire discoveries, this is a fine and persuasive account, with excellent liner notes by Richter herself, and generous recorded sound.”
Review by Dr Natasha Loges
