Concert Review by Anna Mika in the Kronenzeitung, June 12th 2025
Corinna Scheurle and Hanna Bachmann offered a song recital of stunning quality at the Chopin Society in Feldkirch (Vorarlberg). Their performance turned into a triumphant homecoming.
Both artists grew up in Vorarlberg and even attended the same year at the Music High School in Feldkirch. Today, Corinna Scheurle and Hanna Bachmann form a song duo that recently won third prize at the International Hugo Wolf Competition in Stuttgart. Audiences in the region have already heard them several times, each occasion revealing a further refinement of their artistry.
What they presented on Whit Monday at the Pförtnerhaus of the Stella in Feldkirch was first-class, song interpretation at its finest. The singers and pianists soon to appear at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg will hardly be able to surpass the level of artistry that Corinna Scheurle and her piano partner Hanna Bachmann achieved that evening.
First and foremost, one must mention the compelling program dramaturgy, which interwove songs by Schubert with those of Hugo Wolf—not in dutiful sequence, but thematically intertwined. The first half centered on spring: its moments of joy (Schubert’s Musensohn, Wolf’s Fußreise) as well as its longings for distant or lost love (Schubert’s Suleika and Im Frühling).
After the intermission, following a few songs on the theme of water, the focus shifted to the night. It can be menacing (Schubert’s Erlkönig), invite introspection (Wolf’s Verborgenheit, Schubert’s Nacht und Träume), and last but not least, reveal erotic dimensions (Wolf’s Verschwiegene Liebe, Schubert’s Des Fischers Liebesglück).
One could immerse oneself deeply in all of these themes, thanks to Corinna Scheurle’s finely nuanced interpretation and Hanna Bachmann’s sensitive and flexible playing. The two also offered a visually engaging picture, with the singer’s yellow dress echoing the bouquet of flowers on the stage.
The audience erupted in applause and was rewarded with two encores.