Edwin Crossley-Mercer was lucky to be given the opportunity to present his first recital in Paris at the auditorium of the Musée d'Orsay. If you looked for the most appropriate place in Paris to organize a recital of Winterreise by Schubert, it would be there. It's cosy and big enough at the same time and the acoustics is impeccable. Last year, in that same venue, I listened to two superb Liederabends -- one was with Petra Lang, and the other with Ian Bostridge. Both were fantastic and I knew Edwin could be excellent too if he managed to stay calm and focused throughout the entire Winterreise, which is tough: it's long, it's easy to let one's mind wander away in e.g. Fruehlingstraum, or in Tauschung...
Edwin Crossley-Mercer happy after his memorable recital
Only at the very beginning you could read from his hands that he was tense, but as soon as Semjon Skigin started playing, all those little signs disappeared and he opened with a gloriously sung Gutte Nacht -- that nevertheless felt a tad too controlled. By the time he arrived to Erstarrung he was completely in his groove, totally at ease, and the recital gained on spontaneity -- everything was delicately emphasized and vocally sculpted. At one point you could've felt the crowd immersing in the thick silence and a 'winterreisish' atmosphere he imposed by his singing. Of course, he sang all 24 songs in one go, fully focused on every verse he'd pronounce [impeccably!]. Add to that the freshness and flexibility of his voice and you get a picture: definitely a memorable Winterreise.
