Hartmut Höll

Among the post-Gerald Moore, post-Geoffrey Parsons accompanists, Hartmut Höll has attracted attention as a collaborator with his own ideas about singer/accompanist partnerships. With his wife, mezzo soprano Mitsuko Shirai, and with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau during the final years of the baritone's long career, Höll has demonstrated an often grittier approach, although some critics have felt him less polished than his predecessors. Höll, nonetheless, has shown a readiness to explore the outer edges of the song literature, frequently bringing into new focus lyric works by lesser,...