Ralph Vaughan Williams: Pastoral Symphony; Fantasia On A Th – Halle – Elder

   in Classical Music (Aug, 2016)
Hot on the heels of Benjamin Appl’s excellent recital with Graham Johnson on Wigmore Hall Live (July 2016) comes a disc equally recommendable yet fascinatingly different. With a wider expressive range than Appl, Boesch’s Zwerg is a more sinister, yet paradoxically more human beast, the touch of steel in the voice always thoughtfully applied. As he has shown in the three song-cycles (Onyx), also with the excellent Martineau, his response to text and almost psychoanalytic insight make for a thrilling recital, with playing time and recorded sound to match. …