An unusual song recital of duets, quartets and miniature dramas – raising the question of what truly makes an ensemble an ensemble.

August 26th, 2026

By Oxana Arkaeva

Schubert and song – the first thing that comes to mind is usually one voice and a piano. It is easy to forget that Franz Schubert also left behind a remarkable number of works for multiple voices.

The recital on 26 August at the Angelika Kauffmann Hall focused precisely on this lesser-known side of the composer. Nikola Hillebrand (soprano), Patricia Nolz (mezzo-soprano), Mauro Peter (tenor) and David Steffens (bass), together with Malcolm Martineau at the piano, presented a program of duets and quartets.

Many of these works emerged from the private and convivial musical culture that shaped Schubert’s life. Friends gathered to sing and make music together – the very world from which the historical Schubertiades developed. That alone makes such a program particularly fitting for today’s Schubertiade.

From Hymn to Ballad

The evening opened solemnly with “Hymne an den Unendlichen”, before “Cronnan”, after Ossian, entered a very different, more mysterious world. Here, one of the challenges of the casting was already apparent: Mauro Peter’s tenor sounded comparatively thin and lacked presence, at times recalling the vocal character of an Evangelist, while Nikola Hillebrand’s soprano, singing from offstage, filled the hall with a beautiful, clear and highly present sound. Her powerful soprano could be well suited to the opera stage. Within this kind of ensemble, however, she often dominated and at times emerged too strongly as a solo voice. Later, in “Licht und Liebe”, the considerable difference in sound and dynamics between the two remained evident. Two interesting voices – but not necessarily two voices that naturally merge into a unified duet sound.

The combination of Patricia Nolz and David Steffens, by contrast, emerged as the strongest duo of the evening. Nolz impressed with a rounded, gentle mezzo-soprano, a strong presence, and a delightful gift for comedy; Steffens complemented her with a sonorous, pleasantly grounded bass. “Hermann und Thusnelda” was particularly entertaining: the victorious Thusnelda talks, enthuses, and ultimately has the final word. In contrast, Hermann has comparatively little to say and occasionally responds with a certain irritation. In “Antigone und Oedip”, too, the female character carries much of the emotional weight.

Four Voices – but Not Always an Ensemble

Particularly in quartets such as “Gott im Ungewitter”, one could hear how deeply Schubert’s music for multiple voices is rooted in a culture of making music together. Four individual voices must become a single body of sound without losing their distinctive identities.

That did not happen consistently on this occasion. Acoustically and dynamically, the quartet often lacked balance.The voices differed considerably in volume, color and projection; particularly in the tutti passages, some dominated while others receded.

Again and again, one question arose: By what criteria should singers be chosen for a program like this?

Malcolm Martineau proved to be the ensemble’s reliable center. Sensitive and constantly attentive to the different voices, he held the musical threads together without ever pushing himself into the foreground.

An Inner Dialogue

After the interval, “Die Geselligkeit”, with its cheerful celebration of life’s joy, introduced a new atmosphere. Indeed, one of the evening’s great strengths was its dramaturgy: solemnity alternated with humor, ancient tragedy with romantic longing, conviviality with solitude.

Particularly fascinating was “Mignon und der Harfner” after Goethe. Mignon and the Harper sing together: “Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt” – “Only those who know longing”. Two people share the same words, and Schubert’s music makes the duet sound almost like an inner dialogue, as though one person were speaking to themselves in two voices.

“Mother, Mother!”

The emotional and dramatic high point of the evening was “Eine altschottische Ballade”, after Herder. In an increasingly threatening dialogue, a mother questions her son about the blood on his sword. Step by step, the truth emerges: he has killed his father.

Here, Nolz and Steffens unfold their full vocal and dramatic potential. Suddenly, a song became a miniature drama: question and answer, denial and revelation intensified with gripping tension. It was here, in particular, that one could experience how readily Schubert’s multi-voice songs can turn into miniature operatic scenes.

Cleverly Selected

What unquestionably succeeded that evening was the dramaturgical and thematic construction of the program. The songs were arranged so that moods and character constellations constantly shifted. Despite its concentration on duets and quartets, the evening therefore remained varied and never became monotonous.

With “Gebet”, the program finally came together in a shared conclusion, while at the same time completing the arc back to the solemnity of the opening.

Although not every vocal combination was equally convincing, the program nevertheless revealed an aspect of Schubert that is still hiding in the shadow of his great solo songs: Schubert as a composer of musical togetherness.

And perhaps that is precisely where the challenge of this music lies: four good voices are not enough. They also have to find a common one.