Schubert’s Baritone: A celebration of Johann Michael Vogl – James Newby & Joseph Middleton at Wigmore Hall

Vogl and Franz Schubert, caricatured by Franz von Schober (c. 1825)

Schubert’s Baritone: A celebration of Johann Michael Vogl; James Newby, Joseph Middleton; Wigmore Hall
Reviewed 13 October 2026

An imaginative exploration of Schubert’s important relationship with baritone Johann Michael Vogl, and a showcase for baritone James Newby’s talents in Schubert

The baritone Johann Michael Vogl (1768-1840) is one of those figures who flit in an out of modern accounts of Schubert’s life without Vogl himself coming into focus. The baritone was an important figure in the dissemination of Schubert’s songs and remained supportive of the younger composer from their first encounter in 1817 right through to Vogl’s singing in Schubert’s memorial concert and his private rendition of the whole Winterreise a year before his own death.

On Tuesday 13 October 2026 (apologies for the late posting), baritone James Newby and pianist Joseph Middleton brought Johann Michael Vogl back into focus with their programme Schubert’s baritone: a celebration of Johann Michael Vogl at Wigmore Hall, singing a wide selection of the songs of Schubert’s that Vogl sang and that Schubert wrote for him.

Schubert first encountered Vogl in 1813 when he heard the baritone as Orestes in Gluck’s Iphigenie auf Tauris (just eight years before Berlioz’s first encounter with Gluck’s operas at the Paris Opera had such a stirring effect on him). The following year, in 1814, when Vogl sang the role of Pizarro at the premiere of the final version of Beethoven’s Fidelio, it is said that the 17-year-old Schubert actually sold his schoolbooks in order to afford a ticket. And it would be Vogl who was responsible for introducing Anna Milder (Leonora in Fidelio, and a notable Iphigenie in Berlin and Vienna) to Schubert and she would go on to commission Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen.

The teenage Schubert’s admiration for Vogl came to nothing at first, until friends (Schober, Spaun and Siboni) managed to arrange a meeting in 1817 when Vogl was reportedly haughty. However, bear in mind that Schubert was all of 20 whilst Vogl was 49 and already coming to the end of a highly celebrated career. But Vogl tried out some of Schubert’s songs including Augenlied, Ganymed and Memnon.

Newby and Middleton arranged their recital chronologically, so it was these three songs we heard first: Vogl’s first encounter with Schubert’s music. Newby sang Augenlied with poise, bringing out the underlying joy. In Ganymed the emotion and dramatic context really came out, and despite the urgent excitement at the end, Newby’s sense of line and poise was undimmed. Memnon was dark and serious, complex drama. In his admirable programme note Richard Stokes suggested that Schubert’s concentration on Greek and Latin subjects was related to Vogl’s interest in Ancient Greece and Rome. Also, Vogl’s strength was dramatic recitative, and this also affected the songs.

Vogl made more visits and learned more songs. He gave the first public performance of Der Erlkönig. Reflecting this period we heard Der Kampf, Der Wanderer and Erlkönig. Der Kampf was vivid and emphatic with a sense of drama. Here and elsewhere, Newby emphasised the drama with real histrionic elan, body movement contributing to his sense of expression. Der Wanderer moved from interior melancholy to excitement and back again, whilst Erlkönig became a telling piece of drama. Though Newby emphasised the different character’s voices, including a scary yet seductive Erlkönig we thankfully did not get any funny voices.

The first half ended with a group of Schubert’s first publications, reflecting the time when he and Vogl were getting to know each other. Heidenröslein was refreshingly robust yet engaging, Morgenlied was delightfully lighthearted, Rastlose Liebe was full of urgent vigour, whilst Am Grabe Anselmos was serious with lyric melancholy. This was one of Schubert’s three songs Op. 6 that were dedicated to Vogl. We ended with Der Tod und das Mädchen, short but terrific. The first verse all urgent anxiety, the second dark and interior. Not a moment wasted.

In 1826, Vogl sang a selection of almost 30 of Schubert’s songs at the house of Josef von Spaun, and Vogl would invitedSchubert to his own home. This was reflected in the Summer Schubertiade section of the evening. Nachtstück was discreetly animated, with Newby displaying a loved legato, both engaged and intent. Die Rose was deceptively simple, with Middleton’s delicate piano part and the way Newby found drama in the verse. Die Einsame (The Recluse) was a fascinating song as the perky piano part combined with the way Newby’s character found joy in his isolation, with Newby delivering the verse with relish. Im Abendrot lyrically beautiful, and Nacht und Träume had a quiet beauty to it.

In 1828, when Schubert presented a concert of his music at the Musikverein, Vogl sang five sings, all first performances. Die Sterne was really engaging with Newby’s performance more concentrated and less histrionic. Der Kreuzzug was serious, yet Newby was really engaged with the narrative. Fischerweise had an engaging vigour to it, whilst Fragment aus dem Aeschylus brought this section to an end with some serious, dramatic recitative.

At Schubert’s memorial concert on 30 January 1829, Vogl gave the first performances of Aufenthalt and Die Taubenpost from Schwanenegesang, and Newby and Middleton ended their recital with these. Aufenthalt moving from controlled to really disturbing, and Die Taubenpost relaxed and delightfully engaging. We were treated to an encore: Abendstern.

This was an imaginatively curated programme that drew together a wide and varied repertoire (22 songs in all) in a way which was illuminating and informative, yet also allowed Newby and Middleton to display their range in Schubert’s songs. On this showing, I would love to hear them in a complete performance of Schwanengesang. But this was the first of Newby’s residency at Wigmore Hall, so we have all manner of delights to come.