May 2003 - Nr. 5
Michael Schade Solo Recital a Memorable Affair
With his first solo recital here in Toronto, using mainly the material from last years Juno nominated CD, he wooed a different kind of audience away from the TV and an evening of boring reality shows. Anyone with a taste for songs of love and ladies came, as well as every singer who ever heard him, every one who knew that we will not see or hear him again until January next year. This country does not lure him back often enough. Europe is keeping him busy.
We loved the CD and found especially the Strauss Lieder particularly passionate and appealing, but the perfection of a recording session cannot compete with the live performance, even, or perhaps because of the occasional slight flaw. The latter is eminently preferable, even if the piano accompaniment is a last second replacement, which was definitely not noticeable with the fine choice of Stephen Ralls.
Michael Schade sings his Lieder focused in cycles of 3 or four songs, telling stories like handing over precious gems. His legendary high pianissimos in full voice dazzled on this evening too.
But he knows his audiences and rather than singing only art songs he offered more popular fare for the rest of the evening, leaving the audience happily smiling to Viennese music in three quarter time. To top it all off, after many bows and an encore, he came out with the twins in his arm and garnered another standing ovation. Thus he made the evening a family affair.
It would be great if Canada could offer him more singing engagements. We can but hope.
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
