Music / solosang

Four last songs


Description


Schwarzkopf samlingen.

Reviews (48)


AllMusic

2007

By

By

Stephen Eddins

2007

"Although she will not dispel memories of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf or Jessye Norman, she turns in a solid and lovely performance. Her voice is perhaps a little too heavy to spin out Strauss' luxuriant lines with the ringing radiance and tonal variety that characterize the most memorable performances ...Stemme and the orchestra have real presence and the balance is good".


jcklassisk

d. 28. Nov. 2014

By

By

John Christiansen

d. 28. Nov. 2014

"En cd, som er noget af det bedste, jubilæumsåret for Richard Strauss har givet os ... Mens Anna Netrebko i begejstringen over foråret i få øjeblikke er på nippet til at presse sin ellers stort virkende sopran i "Frühling", synger hun gennemført vidunderligt i de tre "afskeds"-sange ... Dermed er det ikke slut. Barenboim er modnet betydeligt som dirigent , og han dirigerer "Ein Heldenleben" fornemt behersket. Hans orkester Berliner Staatskapelle spiller eminent".


MusicWeb international

2012 August

By

By

John Quinn (musikanmelder)

2012 August

"Anne Schwanewilms is one of the leading Strauss sopranos of our times. Here she offers some plums from the composer's huge output for the soprano voice ... There's some wonderful singing here ... and, not for the first time on the disc, the Gürzenich-Orchester is inspired by Markus Stenz to some gorgeous playing ... I had high hopes for Vier letzte Lieder. I adore these songs and there is already an indecently large number of versions on my shelves. Sadly, I don't think this recording will be joining the list of The Elect. The main trouble is the enunciation of the words".


MusicWeb international

2024 March

By

By

John Quinn (musikanmelder)

2024 March

"I have literally lost count of the number of recordings of these wonderful songs that I have in my collection. However, without exception these are recordings of the version with orchestral accompaniment in which they are so justly celebrated. Here, Asmik Grigorian has done something refreshing and rather interesting in pairing that familiar orchestral version with one in which the singer is accompanied by piano ... I found listening to this album was a fascinating experience. You'll have gathered that I strongly prefer the songs in their orchestral guise. That said, the piano version presents fresh insights ... Anyone expecting to hear the same vocal performance but with different accompaniments will be surprised. This, to me, is the hallmark of a very serious, thoughtful artist".


Politiken

d. 26. Feb. 2008

By

By

Thomas Stolting

d. 26. Feb. 2008


Jyllands-posten

d. 26. Mar. 2007

By

By

John Christiansen

d. 26. Mar. 2007

"Den svenske Nina Stemme er et af de bedste bud på en yngre sopran i det romantiske fag ... Hendes sopran er rigtig her. Alt i at en Strauss-cd af de bedste".


Berlingske tidende

d. 1. May 2007

By

By

Søren Kassebeer

d. 1. May 2007

"Den svenske sopran Nina Stemme har udgivet en CD med lutter afslutninger. Alle af Richard Strauss ... Nina Stemme rammer langt hen ad vejen den fine ekspressivitet, der er sine qua non i disse skønne satser ... Trods indvendingerne en attraktiv buket, der viser mange facetter af en af det 20. århundredes største komponister".


Politiken

d. 10. Apr. 2007

By

By

Thomas Michelsen

d. 10. Apr. 2007

"Fantastisk er det, hvad Stemme præsterer, både i den tidlige og den sene ende af Straussspektret. Hun løser opgaverne med kropslig, fulddramatisk klang, der i Salome går fra lysende til brændende intensitet uden kontroltab ... Stemme er enestående. Orkestret spiller ulmende og er endda godt optaget".


Jyllands-posten

d. 16. Sep. 2008

By

By

John Christiansen

d. 16. Sep. 2008

"En gennemført smuk og dyb tolkning. Thielemann er en fantastisk Strauss-dirigent, orkestrets klangnuancer er besnærende, og han breder et tæppe af indre ro under Fleming kulminerende med Im Abendrot".


Politiken

d. 16. Sep. 2008

By

By

Thomas Michelsen

d. 16. Sep. 2008

"Med eksperten Thielemann på podiet smyger München Filharmonikerne sig om divaen som skræddersyet haute couture. Men man skal lige vænne sig til det særlige ved damens fortolkninger af 'Vier letzte Lieder', nemlig det hyperekspressivt teatralske i tekstforedraget ... Skruer man op, kan man nyde Flemings store aktiv, den cremede fraseringskunst ... Men det er for dårligt at spise cd-publikummet af med middelmådig optagekvalitet".


Berlingske tidende

d. 16. Sep. 2008

By

By

Søren Schauser

d. 16. Sep. 2008

"Renée Flemings seneste plade, en god time med sange af Richard Strauss - brusende, berusende, bjergtagende. Den amerikanske sopran har aldrig haft verdens naturligste stemme. Hun står for sangkunst med stort K. Men når den slags parres med intelligens og kunstnerisk vilje, slår det alt andet ... Hun lyder lige fantastisk oppe og nede, lige mørk og manende. Og selv om hun teknisk set er lyrisk sopran, kan hun også det dramatiske".


Berlingske tidende

d. 2. Dec. 2014

By

By

Søren Schauser

d. 2. Dec. 2014

"Anna Netrebko synger den lille halve times musik gribende godt. Der er gods i hendes lyd og dybde i hendes tekstforståelse ... Ingen udgave af »Vier letzte Lieder« ville fungere uden toptrimmet orkester ... Staatskapelle Berlin under Daniel Barenboims ledelse ligner et mirakuløst valg til den store opgave ... De to værker med Anna Netrebko og Barenboims berlinere er et mindre mirakel af en plade".


Politiken

d. 13. Dec. 2014

By

By

Thomas Michelsen

d. 13. Dec. 2014

"Hvor dybt kan en sopran synke ned i dyb, mørk velourklang? Men også ned i sjusk og mangel på omhu i sin omgang med musikken? Anna Netrebkos stemme har ekstravagante klangkvaliteter, men tydelige vokaler er en by i Rusland. Affraseringerne virker usikre, og mange steder forstår man dårlig nok teksten ... De tre hjerter går derfor til Barenboim og orkestret".


Kristeligt dagblad

d. 11. Dec. 2014

By

By

Peter Dürrfeld

d. 11. Dec. 2014

"En cd, der må kandidere til titlen som Årets Richard Strauss-skive. De medvirkendes høje niveau mere end antydes af navnene ... Også repertoiret er særdeles attraktivt ... Netrebkos glødende stemme og musikalske instinkt og intelligens fornægter sig ikke ... og Netrebko bliver fulgt til dørs af et i det hele taget velspillende Staatskapelle Berlin og en Daniel Baremboim i topform".


Jyllands-posten

d. 8. Dec. 2014

By

By

Jens Povlsen

d. 8. Dec. 2014

"Stemmen har fået dramatisk nerve, og den ufattelige skønhed i "Vier letzte Lieder" forvalter hun troværdigt. Det samme gør Barenboim i Strauss' selvironiske "Ein Heldenleben".Men Strauss-året kulminerer hos Netrebko, hvis indspilning vil stå som et pejlemærke i de kommende år".


Weekendavisen

d. 26. Sep. 2008

By

By

Peter Johannes Erichsen

d. 26. Sep. 2008

"For anden gang har Renée Fleming indsunget Vier letzte Lieder ... En rejse fra det fremstormende over det indsmigrende til den endelige flodbølge i slutsangen ... Renée Fleming er ikke dæmonisk ... Æggende smukke koncert".


Jyllands-posten

d. 5. Oct. 2010

By

By

John Christiansen

d. 5. Oct. 2010


Jyllands-posten

d. 30. Oct. 2007

By

By

John Christiansen

d. 30. Oct. 2007

"Et historisk pletskud: Koncerten i maj 1950 i London med Philharmonia Orchestra, da Kirsten Flagstad uropførte Richard Srauss' Vier letzte Lieder ... Strauss klinger bedre end før, men stadig historisk. Et stykke musikhistorie af format".


Jyllands-posten

d. 4. Oct. 2004

By

d. 4. Oct. 2004


BBC music magazine

2008 September

By

By

Michael Scott Rohan

2008 September

"Ultimately Fleming's new Four Last Songs is not quite the equal of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, or Felicity Lott and Nina Stemme's more intellectual readings, let alone my ne plus ultra, Gundula Janowitz and Herbert von Karajan (on DF). But it's a strong contender and a genuine pleasure".


Klassisk

2008, nr. 11

By

By

Camilla Marie Dahlgreen

2008, nr. 11

"Det bliver aldrig den udgave, jeg sætter på, når jeg skal drukne mit sind i Strauss' vidunderlige orkestersange, men helt gal er den heller ikke ... Flemings og Thielemans tilgang til Strauss er meget operapræget, og det stresser orkestersangene ... Den manierede stil gør ingen skade på resten af cd'ens mere kitchede Strauss-repertoire, men klæder det vel nærmest".


BBC music magazine

2007 September

By

By

Howard Goldstrin

2007 September

"The world premiere of Four last songs in its best transfer ever, plus some previously unissued Wagner from the same concert".


Fono Forum

2024 April

By

By

Sabine Weber

2024 April


BBC music magazine

2024 March

By

By

David Nice

2024 March

"There are so many fascinating but ultimately self-defeating anomalies about this odd release. The only constant is Mikko Franck's painstaking but winged guidance of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France ... What a pity that Asmik Grigorian doesn't blossom for him as often as she does in the piano version (the arrangements are not by Strauss, who conceived these exclusively as songs with orchestra) ... Grigorian's justification for the two versions side by side is that 'they each require different colours', and that turns out to be the case".


Fono Forum

2020 April

By

By

Johannes Schmitz

2020 April

"Nach kurz vor dessen Tod hatte Diana Damrau mit dem Dirigenten Mariss Jansons die 'Vier letzten Lieder' im Konzert gegeben ... Nun liegt die Zusammenarbeit auch auf CD vor ... Auch hier sind die Grenzen, an die die Sängerin mittlerweile stösst, unüberhörbar. Angestrengt und fest klingt die Stimme ... Günstiger ist der Eindruck in den Klavierliedern, die sie gemeinsam mit Helmut Deutsch aufgenommen hat ... Wo sie ... mit beruhigtem Timbre gedeckte Stimmungen malt, hat diese CD berührende Momente".


Diapason

2020 mars

By

By

Sylvain Fort

2020 mars


BBC music magazine

2020 May

By

By

Natasha Loges

2020 May

"The Four Last Songs, accompanied by an astonishingly agile and transparent orchestra, are hugely enjoyable. Diana Damrau is on excellent form, her metallic and incisive sound matching the instrumentalists' clarity and precision ... Perhaps as a result, the remaining 19 piano-accompanied songs with seasoned pianist Helmut Deutsch initially sound rather pallid ... The charmingly assembled programme includes one or two revelations, though Damrau and Deutsch mostly gravitate to favourites ... Damrau pours herself into the sentiments of the poetry, managing to bring each one to life".


Klassisk

2020, nr. 57

By

By

Henrik Engelbrecht

2020, nr. 57

"Dette er den tredje indspilning af Richard Strauss' "Vier letzte Lieder", jeg anmelder i denne sæson ... Det er sjældent, at jeg har hørt en cd med lieder, hvor jeg i den grad blev indfanget af akkompagnementet hele vejen igennem ... Den sidste [cd], den lettiske dirigent Mariss Jansons nåede at indspille inden sin død ... Og resultatet er måske den mest suveræne orkesterpræstation i Struass' fire sidste sange, jeg har hørt til dato ... Ikke mindre suverænt er det at høre pianisten Helmut Deutsch i de øvrige 20 sange på cd'en ... Og det er ikke fordi, Damrau gør det dårligt - slet ikke; hun er en intelligent og velforberedt sanger, som har sange og tekster helt under huden ned til de mindste detaljer".


Operabladet Ascolta

(2015) 33. årgang nr. 5

By

By

Henrik Marcussen

(2015) 33. årgang nr. 5

"Valget af program er godt tænkt - det viser to tidsmæssigt forskudte sider af Strauss ... Netrebkos bud på de smukke sange fortjener at blive bemærket og beundret, og hun kan stå distancen til de store fortolkere ... Ein Heldenleben står helstøbt med mange fine detaljer - storslået orkesterlyd i de ekspansive kampscener over for den sarteste blidhed i slutafsnittet".


Klassisk

2015, nr. 36

By

By

Andrew Mellor

2015, nr. 36

"Anna Netrebkos fyldige, altagtige sopran gør underværker ... selvom hendes intonation nogle steder slingrer ... Orkestret er ikke så bemærkelsesværdigt ... Der er talrige indspilninger af Ein Heldenleben som er langt mere spændende og levende".


Diapason

2014 decembre

By

By

Rémy Louis

2014 decembre


Financial Times

d. 5. Dec. 2014

By

By

Richard Fairman

d. 5. Dec. 2014

"The star Russian soprano should not be right for Strauss's autumnal Four Last Songs, but she sings them with such individuality, and an opulence of voice and colour, that doubters should be silenced. Daniel Barenboim and his Staatskapelle Berlin accompany her eloquently".


International record review

2007 April

By

By

Hugh Canning

2007 April

"I can't help feeling that Stemme recorded the Songs both too early and too late; although you can make out her words she doesn't invest them with the special colours the most famous interpreters of the set have at their disposal and her voice also sounds a bit ungainly ... there is some unquestionably fine singing here, but I can't disguise my disappointment, either. After her superb Isolde, I was expecting something more lustrous and memorable".


High fidelity (Kbh.)

Årg. 42, nr. 1 (2009)

By

By

Mogens Wenzel Andreasen

Årg. 42, nr. 1 (2009)

"Der er andre indspilninger på højde med denne, men Renée Fleming står højt på hit-listen og præsterer det absolut storslåede i denne indspilning, hvor den ikke altid lige interessante Christian Thielemann lever godt op til sin berømte solist ... Alt i perfekt udførelse. Et must for sang- og Fleming-elskere".


The gramophone

2007 June

By

By

Alan Blyth

2007 June

"Vurdering: Editor's choice" - "Flagstad, for all the richness of her singing, gives a fairly generalised interpretation compared with many that were to follow, and the conductor was never the greatest of Straussians. Still, as a historic document this is an important issue. The whole disc, carefully remastered, is a treasure".


The gramophone

2024 March

By

By

Hugo Shirley

2024 March

"Asmik Grigorian is undeniably one of the most exciting operatic talents on the scene today ... For her new album, though, she turns to very different repertoire: the refined final utterings of Richard Strauss. But this is also a 'Four Last Songs' with a difference, presenting the original orchestral version alongside piano arrangements ... An intriguing concept and a thought-provoking addition to this fearless artist's catalogue, but one that ultimately also shows her limitations".


Operabladet Ascolta

(2006) 25. årgang nr. 2

By

By

Henrik Marcussen

(2006) 25. årgang nr. 2


The gramophone

2020 March

By

By

Hugo Shirley

2020 March

"The German soprano's virtues are well in evidence. There's no doubting the integrity and intelligence of her performances, and there's much to admire in her tidy, restrained way with the Four Last Songs - for which she receives sensitive, detailed accompaniment. There are things to enjoy in the other songs, too, not least in a suitably brittle, edgy account of the Three Ophelia Songs, with Helmut Deutsch's piano-playing, here as throughout, exemplary".


Operabladet Ascolta

(2004) 23. årgang nr. 2

By

(2004) 23. årgang nr. 2


Operabladet Ascolta

(2002) 20. årgang nr. 5

By

(2002) 20. årgang nr. 5


International record review

2015 February

By

By

Ian Julier

2015 February

"Vurdering: IRR outstanding" - "The orchestra is in full bloom from the first bar, immediately establishing radiance and fluency that remain touchstones throughout. Matters improve and Netrebko's dynamic and expressive range rapidly expands to capture more of the subsequent songs' autumnal qualities ... This is Straussian gold that in Ein Heldenleben can stand alongside the greatest exponents".


Kristeligt dagblad

d. 2. Oct. 2000

By

d. 2. Oct. 2000


Politiken

d. 14. Nov. 1999

By

d. 14. Nov. 1999


Kristeligt dagblad

d. 27. Sep. 1999

By

d. 27. Sep. 1999


Politiken

d. 3. Oct. 1999

By

d. 3. Oct. 1999


Berlingske tidende

d. 1. Mar. 2000

By

d. 1. Mar. 2000


Jyllands-posten

d. 6. July 1999

By

d. 6. July 1999



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