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Thursday night at Ravinia, Finnish baritone Jorma Hynninen and English pianist Roger Vignoles gave a recital of baffling excess–25 songs in 68 minutes. The lyrics in German, Swedish and Finnish were equally excessive with unrelieved references to pain, suffering, horror, blood and death. Hynninen was best in Brahms’ “Four Serious Songs” and in nine Sibelius pieces, worst in the five playful Finnish folk songs despite ferocious mugging. He was unconvincing in the seven Wolf songs–his powerful, accurate voice lacks the requisite romantic warmth. The evening’s hero was Vignoles, who made Sibelius’ dim keyboard writing sound as beautiful as the vocal line.
