Stefanie Schlesinger, Wolfgang Lackerschmid SHARING SECRETS
Liner notes by Jo Bickhardt
“The true beauty of music is that it connects people. It carries a message, and we,
the musicians, are the messengers.” — Roy Ayers
This album has been long overdue. Presented here are two exquisite artists, who
are sensitive, refined, who know when to be discerning, delicate, intense and
touching. In the space between, you find many roots presented from Classical,
Broadway, Swing and Blues that are manipulated and explored as Jazz.
World renown vibraphonist, composer, arranger Wolfgang Lackerschmid and
soprano Stefanie Schlesinger are a musical force. An exquisite vocalist, with keen
insight to lyrical texture, resonance and diction, Miss Schlesinger is also an
accomplished lyricist, arranger and songwriter. In choosing the 14 tracks for this
album, which were selected from dozens of songs that they have performed over
the years, it became clear to me that their selections were not just about what they
enjoyed performing, but wanting to send a message to introduce new avenues for
the listener to discover, and texts with new interpretations, sensitivities and
emotion.
The tracks chosen here are a tapestry, a showcase for instrumental emotion. We
often take the most delicate instrument of them all, the voice for granted. Its
success is predicated on coordination between meticulous discipline and
emotional desire. Knowing how and when to strike the appropriate balances,
blends and mixtures, is what makes a duo effective. Furthermore, the challenge of
presenting these songs with a fresh and appealing approach, illustrates that this
duo are masters of arrangement from the very first track. The album is full of gems,
Stefanies vocal elegance is on full display with Mozart’s Non So Piu; Daily Rose
and the Very Thought Of You. There is an exquisite delicacy between the two of
them on Why Shouldn’t You Cry and Camille Saint-Saens’ Mon Coeur. Each song
is a highlight, an assortment of musical eclairs, layered with simplistic, moving
vibes and topped with lyrical precision and diction.
In reviewing the material for this album, I found that I was immediately attracted to
the intricacy of Wolfgang’s mallets giving space to Stefanies vocalization tonality.
From the opening track that features Gershwin’s I Got A Crush On You, Wolfgang
harnesses the vibraphones tonal rubato. As classically trained singers are taught
to get off or lightly touch consonants in order to keep the vowel tone clean, here I
found Wolfgang’s mallets striking the vibes metal bars with such astuteness and
delicacy that in many places it is mimicking Stefanie’s vocalization. Thus, two
refined sounds, with flawless sensitivity, are sending us messages to connect to
this wonderful musical landscape.
