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, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and soprano Renée Fleming, among many others, Höll demonstrated an often grittier approach during his final years, although some critics felt him less polished than his predecessors. Nonetheless, Höll has shown a readiness to explore the outer edges of the song literature, frequently bringing into new focus lyric works by lesser or less well-known composers.