Our Summer BAL 37: Strauss Four Last Songs

[visualnickmos]

Hello Lordgeous

I suppose there are lots of ways to skin the cat. Richard Tarleton's analogy was perfect (post no. 25)

I am just about to listen to Janowitz in this.

[visualnickmos]

I wonder if "shrill" is what I hear as a sort of silvery "thrill" at the leading edge of her voice - her Strauss Countess, and Fiordiligi (both with Bohm) are also favourite recordings of mine. But squeaky - is this throughout, or can you point to a particular point in the recording?

Hello Richard,

I've just listened to Janowitz (HvK, Berlin Phil) and my impression of Janowitz is actually a bit of a mixed bag. (No, not her!)

The 'shrill' that I refer too is more precisely, the notes at the higher end of the register. This seems more accentuated after a mid-register passage - the loud high-register notes seem to burst out with an extreme and (to my ears) excessively head-penetrating force. This is a pity, as she is wonderful in mid-register, her voice rich and I could even say, dark and highly expressive. Even the high-register notes are fine when sung quietly, but when they are forte - that's when "I gets one of me 'eads!" The 'squeaky' I refer to is again in the high-register loud bits end of notes.
Being a non-musician, I can't really say anything more coherent about it - let alone using correct terminologies. You'll have to forgive me for that; I can only say as I find. I doubt whether my 'review' is actually of any use at all...... !

On this re-listen, I certainly am not dismissing Janowitz, but I have other favourites, that's all.

[Richard Tarleton]

Fair enough! I think she was an HvK favourite, and a Böhm one too....

Few takers (none apart from me) for Elizabeth Söderström, who brings a particular warmth, humanity, one might almost say vulnerability to the songs - qualities one finds in her Janáček heroines.

[martin_opera]

Great thread. I must have nearly two dozen versions of this work and there are amazingly few dud recordings (Ricarda Merbeth on Naxos is best avoided). My favourites are Norman, Popp, Isokowski, Jurinac and Cheryl Studer with Sinopoli. Some recent purchases include Annelise Rothenberger which is stunning and wonderfully supported by Andre Previn (who also conducts with Auger (already mentioned) and another of my top favourites. But I also love Sylvia Sass which is only available on itunes. Worth a punt as she's in danger of being forgotten. Whimsical fancy: whilst she might not have made a great recording of it I do wish Anna Moffo had had a bash in her prime.

[Nick Armstrong]

Hello martin_opera - interesting post. I wonder what you think of Felicity Lott's performance - mentioned above e.g. by richardfinegold in #24. I've mentioned elsewhere in the past that a while back, a mate and I pooled our '4LS' recordings and spent an afternoon 'blind testing' them as best we could. All the favourites were there - Janowitz, 2 Schwarzkopfs, Popp, Della Casa, Norman, Isokowski, Jurinac, Studer, Fleming, plus a few outsiders. Of course we recognised many voices... but trying as hard as we could to ignore preconceptions, and give an objective, relative evaluation of singing, orchestral performance, balance of singer with orchestra, and sound quality generally, the recording that came "top" of our private BAL session was Flott with Jarvi on Chandos.

Since then, I've added another favourite - do you know it? No one's mentioned it so far - the performance by Elisabeth Meyer-Topsøe on Kontrapunkt. She and the orchestra basically do more or less everything as I hear it in my head, with the added benefit of not being a 'recognisable' voice. I haven't listened for a while but a wonderful little touch that comes to mind is the way she gives a radiant vocal colour to the word 'Freude' in the last song. Having heard it, I miss that in other performances!

It's an expensive CD new but about half that price on iTunes and less for second hand copies of the CD:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strauss-Songs-Wagner-Wesendonck-Lieder/dp/B000025ZCE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1409431880&sr=1-1

Anyone who hasn't heard it who loves this music and is looking for a beautiful new perspective on the songs could do a great deal worse imho.

[martin_opera]

Hello martin_opera - interesting post. I wonder what you think of Felicity Lott's performance - mentioned above e.g. by richardfinegold in #24. I've mentioned elsewhere in the past that a while back, a mate and I pooled our '4LS' recordings and spent an afternoon 'blind testing' them as best we could. All the favourites were there - Janowitz, 2 Schwarzkopfs, Popp, Della Casa, Norman, Isokowski, Jurinac, Studer, Fleming, plus a few outsiders. Of course we recognised many voices... but trying as hard as we could to ignore preconceptions, and give an objective, relative evaluation of singing, orchestral performance, balance of singer with orchestra, and sound quality generally, the recording that came "top" of our private BAL session was Flott with Jarvi on Chandos.

Since then, I've added another favourite - do you know it? No one's mentioned it so far - the performance by Elisabeth Meyer-Topsøe on Kontrapunkt. She and the orchestra basically do more or less everything as I hear it in my head, with the added benefit of not being a 'recognisable' voice. I haven't listened for a while but a wonderful little touch that comes to mind is the way she gives a radiant vocal colour to the word 'Freude' in the last song. Having heard it, I miss that in other performances!

It's an expensive CD new but about half that price on iTunes and less for second hand copies of the CD:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strauss-Songs-Wagner-Wesendonck-Lieder/dp/B000025ZCE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1409431880&sr=1-1

Anyone who hasn't heard it who loves this music and is looking for a beautiful new perspective on the songs could do a great deal worse imho.

Oh thank you. A new VLL - what a treat. Ordered 2nd hand for £8. Will let you know what I think.

I tend to reach for Lott when I want VLL sung with sensitivity and purity, with emotions a bit more internalised - I liken her approach to Isokowski and Della Casa. Of course sometimes I want heart on sleeve "big" voices so I plump for Norman or L Price or Martina Arroyo. Then there are those that seem to straddle the wide gulf in between such as Schwarzkopf, Studer, Stemme, Fleming (with Thielmann), Te Kanawa (always with Davis not Solti) or Sass.

Such a great piece but I can't chose an overall favourite - depends on my mood - but Lott is always a contender.

[gurnemanz]

So many good versions. First love is always special. Mine was Lisa della Casa on Ace of Clubs. Really enjoyed Eva-Maria Westbroek with the Philharmonia and Christoph von Dohnányi at Anvil Basingstoke in June.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Of course sometimes I want heart on sleeve "big" voices so I plump for Norman or L Price or Martina Arroyo.

None "bigger" than the original singer - whom I don't think has been mentioned yet. Anybody know if there are any transfers better than the execrable sound of this, from the World Premiere concert?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPmF9J3fcgA

... Flagstad, Furtwangler, the Philharmonia - terrific performance; but the Chip Shop surface noise!!!

[LeMartinPecheur]

Such a great piece but I can't chose an overall favourite - depends on my mood - but Lott is always a contender.

It had to come and you've just given the final push m-o: Lott Strauss Orch Songs Vols 1 &2 duly ordered!

My bank manager and/or my wife will be after you now...

[amateur51]

None "bigger" than the original singer - whom I don't think has been mentioned yet. Anybody know if there are any transfers better than the execrable sound of this, from the World Premiere concert?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPmF9J3fcgA

... Flagstad, Furtwangler, the Philharmonia - terrific performance; but the Chip Shop surface noise!!!

At least the chip shop is using proper beef dripping, mind

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

At least the chip shop is using proper beef dripping, mind

- but all those smudged dynamics; the mushy p s.

[amateur51]

- but all those smudged dynamics; the mushy p s.

She doesn't take a few of the high notes either but I'm jolly glad to have heard this recording - though I wish Flagstad and
Furtwaengler had recorded Das Lied von der Erde together instead, with Wunderlich

[Barbirollians]

At least the chip shop is using proper beef dripping, mind

Flott has never done much for me - very good but not great IMO .

As for the Flagstad - isn't there a new Pristine Audio remastering that was getting good reports in IRR this month ? - chip shop reduction !

[amateur51]

Flott has never done much for me - very good but not great IMO .

As for the Flagstad - isn't there a new Pristine Audio remastering that was getting good reports in IRR this month ? - chip shop reduction !

Flagstad-lite?!

[verismissimo]

None "bigger" than the original singer - whom I don't think has been mentioned yet. Anybody know if there are any transfers better than the execrable sound of this, from the World Premiere concert?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPmF9J3fcgA

... Flagstad, Furtwangler, the Philharmonia - terrific performance; but the Chip Shop surface noise!!!

It will have been recorded off-air on acetate discs - the latter the source of the chip shop, ferney. The transfer engineer has to decide how much of that to remove - and in the process how much of the top of the singing (and the orchestra) gets sliced off.