"Vier Letzte Lieder"

[Pulcinella]

Just about every other version has a picture of the chanteuse in question on the CD cover. The Gundula version has a picture of.....HvK

The CfP release of the Heather Harper recording has this rather odd-looking painting, called The stages of life, which I guess is at least a bit appropriate!

[vinteuil]

The CfP release of the Heather Harper recording has this rather odd-looking painting, called The stages of life, which I guess is at least a bit appropriate!

... by the great Caspar David Friedrich -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stages_of_Life

.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_David_Friedrich

.

[Pulcinella]

... by the great Caspar David Friedrich -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stages_of_Life

Ah! More appropriate than I might have thought, then.
Thanks for the link; should have done my own homework first.

[Stanfordian]

The CfP release of the Heather Harper recording has this rather odd-looking painting, called The stages of life, which I guess is at least a bit appropriate!

Caspar David Friedrich's artwork does it for me every time!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Just about every other version has a picture of the chanteuse in question on the CD cover. The Gundula version has a picture of.....HvK

Well, yes - but then just about every other version has the chanteuse singing more Strauss - the fillers on Janowitz's recording are other Strauss orchestral works, all conducted by the photogenic maestro.

[ahinton]

That this glorious work has required just 10 hours to knock up 5 times as many posts about it delights but does not surprise me!

[pastoralguy]

Just about every other version has a picture of the chanteuse in question on the CD cover. The Gundula version has a picture of.....HvK

He wouldn't have wanted it any other way...


There's a chap who does Record Fairs in and around Peebles in the Scottish Borders who usually has interesting classical stuff at good prices. On Saturday, I bought Renee Fleming's recording with the Munich Philharmoniker under Thielemann for £3. It sounds pretty good to me whose knows very little about singing or the human voice. Any opinions?

[Richard Barrett]

Janowitz

I'm very happy to see that you're also an admirer of her work. I'm not really a Great Singers kind of person, but when I hear her voice I really don't much mind what she's singing, I'm irresistibly attracted to the sound. I'm sure I wouldn't have much time for Capriccio if I hadn't come across it via the Böhm recording with her as the Countess. But strangely I don't have any recollection of her letzte Lieder although I must have heard it at some point. I suppose I had better put that right.

[Pulcinella]

He wouldn't have wanted it any other way...


There's a chap who does Record Fairs in and around Peebles in the Scottish Borders who usually has interesting classical stuff at good prices. On Saturday, I bought Renee Fleming's recording with the Munich Philharmoniker under Thielemann for £3. It sounds pretty good to me whose knows very little about singing or the human voice. Any opinions?

Distant memory of her Proms performance (2001, the archive tells me; how time flies!), with Eschenbach, is that her diction (as per usual) was not great, however glorious the sound might have been.

[Richard Barrett]

This is more to my liking!! This gal can sing and, boy, doesn't she look gorgeous in that blue dress!! Don't know whether it's available on CD but can check it out. Maestro Abbado (bless him) is super responsive with his orchestra - it's positively diaphanous: oh, we miss him so -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5xFL-iFh0Q

Don't you think though that her vibrato is a bit extreme?

[Richard Barrett]

her diction (as per usual) was not great, however glorious the sound might have been.

This is indeed a common criticism of her singing, but it must surely have been a conscious decision on her part to emphasise the instrument-like quality of her voice, don't you think? I mean I wouldn't want always to hear everything sung like that, but on the other hand it comes close to my ideal vocal sound in so many other ways.

[Richard Tarleton]

her diction (as per usual) was not great, however glorious the sound might have been.

Can you be more specific, Pulcinella? I thought her German (which I don't speak myself, so can't judge) was supposed to be pretty good? She's a fluent speaker....Here is that Proms performance....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVWrjDEVrHo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIlPm-myghQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v1zlfWZXDw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppoqUVlKkBU

[teamsaint]

I'm very happy to see that you're also an admirer of her work. I'm not really a Great Singers kind of person, but when I hear her voice I really don't much mind what she's singing, I'm irresistibly attracted to the sound. I'm sure I wouldn't have much time for Capriccio if I hadn't come across it via the Böhm recording with her as the Countess. But strangely I don't have any recollection of her letzte Lieder although I must have heard it at some point. I suppose I had better put that right.

I'd be interested in your views on her Schubert Lieder, RB.( and anybody else who care to offer an opinion ).

In particular the 15 lieder recital with Charles Spencer. I'll confess, I have only listened to that disc without lyrics, and none of her other Schubert , so I need to put that right.
However, I found that disc, despite the absolutely beautiful noise, a little bit uninvolving.
( Takes cover...)

[Richard Barrett]

I'd be interested in your views on her Schubert Lieder, RB.

All I have is the four CDs she recorded on DG with Irwin Gage. I thought the repertoire was very well chosen to bring out the strengths of her voice, that is to say nothing too "dramatic". I can see how it might be found uninvolving, but I guess it depends on which aspects of the music you're drawn to involvement with. For me some singers are much too histrionic in Schubert lieder - I love DFD's singing for example, but his "micromanagement" approach isn't always what I want to hear.

[Petrushka]

No mention yet, I think, of my own personal favourite: Lisa della Casa and the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Karl Böhm. It's a 1953 recording and the songs are in a different order than usual (easily programmable of course) which works perfectly for me. Every 4LS addict should here this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwOkAxAGeOw

My more modern choices are Janowitz/BPO/Karajan and Popp/LPO/Tennstedt.