Thomas Hampson and Ksenija Sidorova performed highlights from Schubert's Winterreise at King's Place in London, but the evening was marred by style over substance and a whiff of the cruise ship. The US singer paired with the Latvian accordionist for a program that also included works by Kurt Weill and Astor Piazzolla.
A Disappointing Evening
Schubert's Winterreise ends devastatingly with Der Leiermann, a chilling vision of a hurdy-gurdy man. The haunting song begs for colors the piano can only suggest, which presumably inspired this collaboration. However, the concert felt more like a vanity project than a thoughtful reinterpretation.
The logic of swapping piano for accordion and framing Schubert with Weill and Piazzolla is clear: street music invited into the salon. But without program notes or translations, substance was secondary to style. The edited highlights included a heavy-footed Gute Nacht, a folksy Frühlingstraum, and a mono-mood Lindenbaum. Sidorova's accordion lacked subtlety, while Hampson relied on diction in quiet legatos where his voice no longer can.
Second Half Highlights
After an unnecessary interval, Sidorova shone in two solos: a crisp rendition of Piazzolla's Chau Paris and Sergey Voytenko's silvery Revelation. Hampson then delivered a sequence of Kurt Weill's cuddlier songs, crooning through Speak Low, It Never Was You, and Westwind. Mack the Knife had more bite but the Weill felt as edgy as Ralph Lauren. Encores of Sway and Night and Day delighted the crowd but did little to dispel the cruise-ship atmosphere.
