Music / Romantic Masters, Andrew Goodwin, tenor; Roland Peelman, piano. At Wesley Music Centre, April 7. Reviewed by LEN POWER.

It was a grey autumn day and the leaves were falling from the trees around the Wesley Music Centre in Forrest – the perfect atmosphere for a recital of bitter-sweet romantic songs by Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

In a well-balanced program, tenor Andrew Goodwin and pianist Roland Peelman took us on a romantic journey through Schumann’s Dichterliebe song cycle and five songs each by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Peelman also performed Schumann’s Arabesque Op 18 and Skriabin’s Etude Op 2, No 1.

Peelman first played Schumann’s Arabesque. This melodic, reflective and romantic work, beautifully played, set the mood for the rest of the recital.

Composed in 1840, the 16 songs of Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love) were set to poems by German writer Heinrich Heine. These beautiful songs tell of the high and low points of a disappointed love, giving the singer an opportunity to express various emotions through the cycle.

Goodwin gave a sensitive reading of the songs. He was particularly impressive in Im wunderschönen Monat Mai (In the wondrous month of May), his excitement as a young man falling in love was very real. The rapid Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne (Rose, lily, dove, sun) showed his remarkably clear diction and, in Ich Grolle nicht (I bear no grudge) his passionate singing was very moving.

Goodwin studied singing at the St Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia and, with his ability in the Russian language, he was able to bring a strong depth of meaning to his performance of the songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

His moving performance of Why? by Tchaikovsky was outstanding and his wistful singing of Rachmaninoff’s Do you remember? was memorable.

It was also fascinating to compare both Tchaikovsky’s and Rachmaninoff’s different settings of Tolstoy’s poem, Do Not Believe It, My Friend. Goodwin nicely brought out the turbulent emotions in the former and the victorious drama of the latter.

Throughout, Peelman accompanied Goodwin superbly, bringing out all of the beauty and depth in these composers’ songs. His solo performances of Schumann’s Arabesque and Skriabin’s Etude were excellent.

The concert concluded with an encore of Goodwin’s thrillingly passionate performance of  L’ultima Canzone, a song by the Italian, Francesco Paolo Tosti and the perfect ending to a highly successful concert.