Prom 31: Strauss’s Four Last Songs and Other Romantics (9.08.22)

[edashtav]

Schoenberg's Erwartung had clearly passed Mr. Buckley by; but never mind: Strauss had retreated to safer territory by the time Buckley wrote those words.

Yes, Robert J. Buckley ( d.1938 aged over 90) never heard Erwartung in the flesh. Birmingham and the Midlands were so far behind London that I can find no local performance of the work before Simon Rattle’s interpretations with his CBSO in the 1990s.
Possibly, the work was first discussed in the Brum. Press by Ken Dommett in 1958 and three years later J.W. Waterhouse returned from hearing Erwartung at the Edinburgh International Festival to declare that he had known of Arnold Schoenberg for 44 years but had heard more of his works ‘live’ in the previous fortnight than he had in the rest of his life. He then used Erwartung to explain why Schoenberg’s works had met such resistance, locally: FEAR OF THE METHOD, pointing out that it had been wrong to condemn Erwartung, Pierrot Lunaire and other pieces of the composer’s Expressionist period; they had been wrongly tarred and feathered as SERIAL when they were merely ATONAL.

[Maclintick]

Thanks for all the points made above. I'll explore the recordings mentioned that I don't already have. Does anyone remember the winner of the last BAL? Oh, and apologies re the missing ' !!!

In 2019 Ian Burnside recommended Karita Mattila/BPO/Abbado on DG, which makes sense in terms of the vocal qualities desired by the composer who chose Kirsten Flagstad for the première. Mattila is magnificent, & if I have a slight caveat it's that the orchestral accompaniment under Abbado,though, of course, beautifully executed, is unremittingly crepuscular. The legendary Jessye Norman Leipzig GO recording with Kurt Masur stretches to over 25 minutes, & Im Abendrot practically suffocates under Masur's turgid direction. By contrast, Lisa Della Casa's tenderly expressive 1953 mono version with the VPO under Karl Böhm, who had a long association with Strauss & received the dedication of his opera Daphne, lasts just over 18 minutes. Felicity Lott is marginally let down by a less-than-stellar accompaniment from Neeme Järvi & the RSNO. Gundula janowitz's beautiful tone -- "creamy" is the usual reach-me-down critics' cliché -- almost drowns in the syrupy gelato of Karajan's Berliners. Yer pays yer money etc... but for me Lucia Popp with Tennstedt's LPO in superb form does the trick.

[gurnemanz]

I only recently heard Elly Ameling's live performance with the Royal Concertgebouw under Sawallisch. Beautifully put across by a doyenne of Lied singers. It went straight onto my list of favourites.

I think only available unedited on YouTube.

[Serial_Apologist]

Yes, Robert J. Buckley ( d.1938 aged over 90) never heard Erwartung in the flesh. Birmingham and the Midlands were so far behind London that I can find no local performance of the work before Simon Rattle’s interpretations with his CBSO in the 1990s.
Possibly, the work was first discussed in the Brum. Press by Ken Dommett in 1958 and three years later J.W. Waterhouse returned from hearing Erwartung at the Edinburgh International Festival to declare that he had known of Arnold Schoenberg for 44 years but had heard more of his works ‘live’ in the previous fortnight than he had in the rest of his life. He then used Erwartung to explain why Schoenberg’s works had met such resistance, locally: FEAR OF THE METHOD, pointing out that it had been wrong to condemn Erwartung, Pierrot Lunaire and other pieces of the composer’s Expressionist period; they had been wrongly tarred and feathered as SERIAL when they were merely ATONAL.

Talk about the Wisdom of Hindquarters!

[LHC]

In 2019 Ian Burnside recommended Karita Mattila/BPO/Abbado on DG, which makes sense in terms of the vocal qualities desired by the composer who chose Kirsten Flagstad for the première. Mattila is magnificent, & if I have a slight caveat it's that the orchestral accompaniment under Abbado,though, of course, beautifully executed, is unremittingly crepuscular. The legendary Jessye Norman Leipzig GO recording with Kurt Masur stretches to over 25 minutes, & Im Abendrot practically suffocates under Masur's turgid direction. By contrast, Lisa Della Casa's tenderly expressive 1953 mono version with the VPO under Karl Böhm, who had a long association with Strauss & received the dedication of his opera Daphne, lasts just over 18 minutes. Felicity Lott is marginally let down by a less-than-stellar accompaniment from Neeme Järvi & the RSNO. Gundula janowitz's beautiful tone -- "creamy" is the usual reach-me-down critics' cliché -- almost drowns in the syrupy gelato of Karajan's Berliners. Yer pays yer money etc... but for me Lucia Popp with Tennstedt's LPO in superb form does the trick.

Another vote for Lucia Popp and Klaus Tennstedt from me. It's always been a special recording for me, not least because I also saw them perform the songs at the RFH

[Lordgeous]

It was the comment about Szell that surprised me more than the missing apostrophe!

I'd always thought his performances rather hard driven (though I recall a fabulous Tschaik 4 or 6) but in the 4LS the accompaniment is wonderfully flexible. the orchestral sound is rich and mellow, as are the soloists, and speeds seem ideal to me.

PS I also have Popp. Much as I'm a fan of hers again it didn't quite rise to meet my expectations. Maybe I've spent too many years with ES!

[cloughie]

I'd always thought his performances rather hard driven (though I recall a fabulous Tschaik 4 or 6) but in the 4LS the accompaniment is wonderfully flexible. the orchestral sound is rich and mellow, as are the soloists, and speeds seem ideal to me.

PS I also have Popp. Much as I'm a fan of hers again it didn't quite rise to meet my expectations. Maybe I've spent too many years with ES!

His 4 on Decca with LSO was not cleared by him for release and only came out on World of … after he died. Both that and his 5 on CBS Classics were top class to my ears!

[Beresford]

... (Unlike a live concert performance from Kiri Te Kanawa on R3 which I do remember listening to on a portable radio in a student bedsit in 1972, which lifted me at the time and has always stuck with me).

.

Wonder if there is a recording of this anywhere?

[gurnemanz]

Wonder if there is a recording of this anywhere?

You got me googling .... I found the broadcast quite quickly because I knew the rough date. (I was doing a term's teaching practice at a comprehensive school in Hull as part of my post-grad teaching cert.).

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3a51ededc522be50dad4cb67774a1a0d

John Pritchard conducting the BBCSO, coupled with Heldenleben. "Given before an invited audience in BBC Studio 1, Maida Vale, London". Those were the days.

No recording, as far as I can see, but on YouTube I found a performance also from 1972 also with John Pritchard, this time with LSO. It must have been very similar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iw5LG4lx2Y

I really enjoyed listening to it and was still very moved by her singing 50 years later, so thanks for the nudge. I met my wife later that year .. wir sind durch Not und Freude gegangen Hand in Hand. Mainly Freude luckily.

[Lordgeous]

I only recently heard Elly Ameling's live performance with the Royal Concertgebouw under Sawallisch. Beautifully put across by a doyenne of Lied singers. It went straight onto my list of favourites.

I think only available unedited on YouTube.

Thanks for this discovery. Superb! Wonderful singing and accompaniment. Shame she didn't record it commercially but this is a terrific find.