MUSIC REVIEW : A Memorable Debut : Lieder: In his first U.S. recital, Hans Peter Blochwitz brings exquisite introspection to Schubert’s ‘Schone Mullerin.’

Hans Peter Blochwitz isn’t a matinee idol in America. Not yet, anyway.

On Sunday, the handsome young German--who has sung Mozart in most of the world’s leading opera houses--couldn’t quite fill all 500 seats at Sherwood Auditorium, where he offered his first U.S. recital on behalf of the San Diego Opera.

Lied specialists have never captured the fancy of the mass audience in America, unless they happen to bear names like Fischer-Dieskau or Schwarzkopf. Blochwitz, however, has the resources--vocal, intellectual and emotional--to join the elite.

Actually, his special qualities as artist and technician should not be measured in terms of any baritone or soprano model. A lyric tenor, he is heir to a noble tradition that embraces such disparate paragons as Karl Erb, Julius Patzak, Aksel Schiotz, Peter Pears, Ernst Haefliger and Peter Schreier.

Like these predecessors, Blochwitz is no swashbuckling pirate of the high Cs. His voice is light in both weight and color, essentially lean in texture. He impresses with subtle nuances, with refined inflections, with delicate dynamic gestures.

He is introspective. He is something of a poet. He would rather whisper than shout.

At this relatively early stage of his career, his achievements do not always match his lofty intentions. He may not maintain maximum tension in moments of maximum urgency. He sometimes strains for high climaxes. His rhythmic definition occasionally gets blurry.

All this can change, however, and no doubt will. On Sunday, Blochwitz chose an extraordinarily discerning, uncompromisingly demanding program and performed it with taste and pathos. He deserved his standing ovation.

The evening began with a nod to the unjustly neglected Alexander von Zemlinsky, a Viennese contemporary of Gustav Mahler. By odd coincidence, San Diego heard the same composer’s poignant Tagore settings just a couple of weeks ago in conjunction with the San Francisco Ballet.

The four marvelously romantic songs chosen by Blochwitz were settings of Christian Morgenstern poems: “Schlaf nur ein,” “Irmelin Rose,” “Voglein Schwermut” and “Im Korn.” Somehow, the printed program managed to muddle the order and get part of the repertory wrong. Unfazed (perhaps unaware), Blochwitz sang with disarming textual point and strikingly sweet, pliant tone.

He brought similarly compelling qualities to Schumann’s “Dichterliebe.” Although he might have probed deeper into the tragic implications of Heine’s texts, his elegant articulation earned constant admiration.

The reserve all but vanished after intermission, when he explored the joy, hope, bitterness, despair and bleak resignation of “Die Schone Mullerin.” This exquisitely measured performance sustained intensity at every expressive level. Blochwitz’s concentration never flagged as he illuminated the romantic vicissitudes of Schubert’s daunting cycle.

Certain details will haunt the memory: the hushed legato of “O Bachlein meiner Liebe,” the poised thread of tone at “Ihr blauen Morgensterne,” the nervous rapture of “Die geliebte Mullerin ist mein,” the numbed serenity of “Gute Nacht.”

The ultimate impact was shattering.

The audience offered an instant ovation and seemed to want an encore. “There’s not much you can sing after this,” Blochwitz said, with obvious justification. Then he sang the “Wanderers Nachtlied” of Schubert--beautifully.

Peter Grunberg provided enlightened collaboration on a seemingly unwieldy Steinway piano. Accompaniment would be an inadequate word.