Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Four Duets, Op. 28 (1860-62)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Nine Gesänge, Op. 69 (1877)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Eight Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 58 (pub. 1871)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Five Gesänge, Op. 72 (1876-77)

When I listen to Brahms, it is normally to the orchestral or solo piano compositions. However, vocal music was in many ways even more central to his oeuvre and he composed songs for solo, duet and choral groups throughout his musical life. Unlike Schubert and Wolf for example, he was much more open to using folk idioms, and his choice of poets for his texts tended to be more varied than those of the great German lieder composers of the 19th century. This has led some to judge his songs as somewhat lesser compositions, but as this useful series from Naxos has shown, there are many very fine compositions amongst them.

The series is up against some excellent competitors, amongst them the excellent series from Hyperion, with a very high standard of soloists and the great Graham Johnson as accompanist. Like with his Schubert series for the same label, he is a very thoughtful partner for the songs and his notes are astonishingly erudite, detailed and insightful. It's a very difficult combination to beat. While I have found the Naxos series somewhat variable, there are some excellent performances, including some on this current release.

For example, in the opening Op. 28 duets, the songs are taken a little slower than some of the alternative performances (compare the second song 'Vor der Tür' for example). Throughout, I particularly appreciate the artistry of the mezzo Esther Valentin-Fleguth, though both soloists make some beautiful sounds. An interesting comparison of approaches is Op. 69 No. 3 'Abschied' sung on Naxos by the baritone. I cannot really get the versions of Op. 69 songs by Christine Schäfer on Hyperion out of my mind - some wonderfully tender and accomplished performances, including of the No.3. Her performance of that song feels more sure-footed than the baritone here.

Some high points that I noted while listening. The mezzo sings a sensitive version of Op. 69 No. 7 'Über die See' which suits the voice, the two final songs of that set providing a good contrast of mood. They also show off the skills of accompanist Ulrich Eisenlohr. The Op. 72 set includes two of the darkest songs, 'Schwermut' and 'In der Gasse', and baritone Konstantin Ingenpaß sings them with appropriate solemnity and gloom, but a slightly lighter tone than Robert Holl on Hyperion (a bass, so that's to be expected). Both approaches have their merits, but I enjoyed the baritone version a lot. Ingenpaß sings the rest of Op. 58 with grace and a very pleasing tone.

Overall, I would probably recommend the Hyperion set, but they are arranged very differently and have a broader set of soloists, whereas on the Naxos set several singers appear on multiple releases in the series. While several of the singers on Naxos are not as well-known as on Hyperion, they are generally of a very high quality. Accompanist Ulrich Eisenlohr is common throughout the series and provides a solid base for the singers. He has an extensive discography. Recording quality is good. Booklet notes on Naxos are helpful as well, the texts/translation need to be downloaded from the Naxos site, a simple matter with the link being in the booklet.