Anna Fraser & Neal Peres Da Costa - Schubert: Schwanengesang (2026)

This is the second commercial recording to emerge from the groundbreaking Australian Research Council Discovery Project, The shock of the old: Rediscovering the sounds of bel canto 1700– 1900, led by scholar-performer Neal Peres Da Costa.

Following the success of his iconoclastic recording of Schumann's Dichterliebe with baritone Koen van Stade (DXL1193), he joins forces here with soprano Anna Fraser to imagine the sound of Schubert's own Schubertiades, with the help of an astonishing set of recordings of singers trained in the 1830s and 40s. Especially innovative are Fraser's experiments with varying the timbre of her voice within phrases, guided by techniques described in Manuel Garcia's vastly influential vocal method in combination with other historical sources. The result is startling at first, but delivered with a warmth and charisma that transcends all boundaries of style and convention.

Tracklist
01. Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 40: I. Liebe
02. Schwanengesang, D. 957: I. Liebesbotschaft
03. Schwanengesang, D. 957: II. Kriegers Ahnung
04. Schwanengesang, D. 957: III. Frühlingssehnsucht
05. Schwanengesang, D. 957: IV. Ständchen
06. Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 40: IX. Sehnsucht
07. Schwanengesang, D. 957: V. Aufenthalt
08. Schwanengesang, D. 957: VI. In der Ferne
09. Schwanengesang, D. 957: VII. Abschied
10. Schwanengesang, D. 957: VIII. Der Atlas
11. Lieder und Gesange, Op. 40: III. Serenade
12. Schwanengesang, D. 957: IX. Ihr Bild
13. Schwanengesang, D. 957: X. Das Fischermädchen
14. Schwanengesang, D. 957: XI. Die Stadt
15. Schwanengesang, D. 957: XII. Am Meer
16. Schwanengesang, D. 957: XIII. Der Doppelgänger
17. Schwanengesang, D. 957: XIV. Die Taubenpost