Drawing us in: baritone James Atkinson makes his Wigmore Hall debut with pianist Iain Burnside in a programme moving from Robert to Clara Schumann to Brahms’ late tombeau for Clara

Robert and Clara Schumann

Schumann: Eichendorff Liederkreis, Clara Schumann: Gedichte aus Rückerts Liebesfrühling, Brahms: Four Serious Songs; James Atkinson, Iain Burnside; Wigmore Hall
Reviewed 6 January 2025

Young baritone James Atkinson used his rich, dark hued voice in a manner that really drew us in, not over-demonstrative yet rich in subtlety, in a programme that moved from Robert to Clara Schumann to Brahms’ late tombeau for Clara

Baritone James Atkinson has been a BBC New Generation Artist since 2023 and we have caught him in a variety of roles from London Song Festival appearances celebrating the friendship of Hector Berlioz & Théophile Gautier [see my review] and the bi-centenary of the invention of the Mackintosh at the [see my review] to performing Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore with Wild Arts [see my review], as well as premiering Out of the Shadows, the programme of my songs and cantatas that we premiered in 2023.

On Monday 6 January 2025, James Atkinson made his Wigmore Hall debut at a BBC Lunchtime Concert with pianist Iain Burnside in a programme that moved from Schumann’s Eichendorff Liederkreis, Op. 39 to Clara Schumann’s Gedichte aus Rückerts Liebesfrühling, Op. 12 and Johannes Brahms’ Four Serious Songs, Op. 121

We began with Schumann’s Eichendorff Liederkreis setting twelve poems by Joseph von Eichendorff to create one of the great explorations of the Romantic experience of landscape.

‘In der Fremde’ began with Atkinson’s rich dark tones over Burnside’s strongly coloured piano. Atkinson brought a lovely sense of concentration and focus to the music and throughout the recital there was always that concentrated feel, the way he drew you into the song’s inner drama rather then being highly dramatic. ‘Intermezzo’ had a lyrical flow to it with Atkinson’s vibrant line gradually opening up to reach real intensity. The robust poetry of ‘Waldesgespräch’ moved between the seductive and sheer swagger, whilst ‘Die Stille’ was delightfully intimate. ‘Mondnacht’ was as hushed and transparent as one could have wished, a really magical moonlingh, whilst ‘Schöne Fremde’ had a flowing urgency to it. ‘Auf einer Burg’ was surprisingly interior and hushed, with an emphasis one the words, and both performers never let this slip keeping the focus and concentration right to the hushed ending. The second ‘In der Fremde’ was perkily characterful, yet ‘Wehmut’ contrasted with its sober poetry. There was deep feeling in the flowing ‘Zwielicht’, with an ending that was almost spoken. Sheer magic. It was lovely the way Atkinson and Burnside made the wedding swagger of ‘Im Walde’ gradually appear then recede and evaporate. Finally, ‘Frühlingsnacht’ with urgent joy in the voice and a shimmering piano, leading to the final affirmation.

Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op. 39 was written in May 1840, the year when Robert and Clara married (in September 1840) and when Robert wrote half of his entire song output. Clara’s output was far smaller, she had to balance career as a concert pianist with being a wife and mother; their first child, Marie was born 1 September 1841 so Clara would have spent a significant portion of their first year of marriage pregnant and she gave birth to eight children in the 13 years from 1841 to 1854.

Robert and Clara celebrated their marriage by writing a joint set of songs, settings from Rückerts Liebesfrühling, and Clara Schumann’s three songs became her Op. 12. ‘Er ist gekommen in Sturm und Regen’ began with a stormy piano and Atkinson’s vibrant, urgent tones, yet there was plenty of lovely detail too and you sensed his engagement with the underlying story in the song. ‘Warum willst du and’re fragen’ was all concentrated, serious lyricism leading to a profoundly satisfying conclusion. In ‘Liebst du um Schönheit’, Atkinson brought a focus and sense of interior wonder to the words, with a final stanza full of warmth in the voice and manner.

Conventionally ‘Liebst du um Schönheit’ is a ‘woman’s song’, the words are written from a young woman’s point of view worrying about her lover and other women. Here we had a man singing it, with no sense of disjoint such was Atkinson’s complete engagement with his subject. But it introduced, perhaps, an unconscious modern twist, a young man worrying that his (?male) lover was interested in other women.

Atkinson and Burnside made these three a highly satisfying grouping, making you regret that Clara did not write more and that this ‘joint’ enterprise involved three of her songs and eleven of his.

Clara Schumann died in May 1896 and during her final illness Brahms completed his Four Serious Songs, Op. 121. For the texts, Brahms used Luther’s Bible taking passages from Ecclesiastes, Sirach and the First Epistle to the Corinthians, though as with his Deutsches Requiem the texts are not explicitly religious. The songs were written for low voice and piano, and the first performances were by baritones.

‘Denn es gehet dem Menschen’ began with rich, dark tone yet a performance that was highly concentrated and mesmerising as Atkinson and Burnside drew you into the song’s interior drama. Yet the passages that evoke the Deutsches Requiem had an admirable flow, intensity and urgency to them. For ‘Ich wandte mich, und sahe an’, Atkinson’s voice flowed over Burnside’s rich piano, this was a performance full of strong intentions and a final stanza of hushed intensity. There was an admirable sense of rhetoric to ‘O Tod, wie bitter bist du’, yet with moments of profound, sustained beauty. Despite the positive words of ‘Wenn ich mit Menschen’, the two began with stormy urgency, Atkinson’s performance very intent. These songs really suit Atkinson’s voice and in this repertoire he seems an natural song-recital animal. He used his rich, dark hued voice in a manner that really drew us in, not over-demonstrative yet rich in subtlety.

We had an encore, Schubert’s second Wanderers Nachtlied.

The concert is available for 30 days from the BBC website.