MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2023
Approaching 60,000 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

CD REVIEW



Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger



Not available in the USA

Crotchet

 

 

Lotte Lehmann - Lieder Recordings, Vol. 4 (1941)
Johannes BRAHMS (1833–1897)
1. Die Mainacht, Op. 43, No. 2 [3:54]
2. Feinsliebchen, du sollst mir nicht barfuss geh’n (Volkslied) [3:39]
3. An die Nachtigall, Op. 46, No. 4 [2:59]
4. Auf dem Kirchhofe, Op. 105, No. 4 [2:38]
5. Wie bist du, meine Königin, Op. 32, No. 9 [3:20]
6. Wir wandelten, Op. 96, No. 2 [3:11]
7. Erlaube mir, fein’s Mädchen (Volkslied) [1:43]
8. Da unten im Tale (Volkslied) [2:00]
9. Sonntag, Op. 47, No. 3 [1:37]
10. O liebliche Wangen, Op. 47, No. 4 [1:44]
11. Wiegenlied, Op. 49, No. 4 [1:46]
12. Ständchen, Op. 106, No. 1 [1:39]
Richard WAGNER (1813–1883)
Wesendoncklieder
13. Der Engel [2:45]
14. Im Treibhaus [4:34]
15. Schmerzen [2:36]
16. Träume [4:38]
Hugo WOLF (1860–1903)
17. Verborgenheit [3:02]
18. Zur Ruh, zur Ruh [2:43]
19. Gesang Weylas [2:00]
20. Wer tat deinem F’usslein weh? [2:46]
Rudolf SIECZYNSKY (1879–1952)
21. Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume [3:17]
Ernst ARNOLD (1890–1962)
22. Da draussen in der Wachau [3:15]
Robert STOLZ (1880–1975)
23. Im Prater blüh’n wieder die Bäume [3:24]
LEOPOLDI (?-?)
24. Wien, sterbende Märchenstadt [2:48]
Ralph BENATZKY (1884–1957)
25. Ich muss wieder einmal in Grinzing sein [2:07]
Johann STRAUSS II (1825–1899)(Arr. Nico Dostal)
26. Heut’ macht die Welt Sonntag für mich [2:48]
Lotte Lehmann (soprano)
Paul Ulanowsky (piano)
rec. USA, 19 March 1941 (1-10), 30 June 1941 (11, 12, 17-19), 2 July 1941 (15), 9 July 1941 (13, 14, 16, 20, 21) and 14 July 1941 (22-26)
NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.111095 [72:49]

On this, the fourth volume in Naxos’s series with Lotte Lehmann’s Lieder recordings, we meet her during five recording sessions and in spite of her being 53 at the time her voice is in mint condition and her insight is second to none. As before the songs are presented chronologically in the order they were recorded, except for the Wesendonck songs, which were split over two sessions and not recorded in the order they were published, but the producer, Walter Andrews, rightly wanted them to be heard together. For some inexplicable reason only two of them were published on 78 rpms and of the Wolf songs none at all. Having sung Wagner all her life she was better suited for these songs than most other sopranos and she sings them as well as any other recorded version I have heard. She also catches the varying moods of the Wolf songs to perfection, the nervously rushing Wer tat deinem Füsslein weh? perhaps the most remarkable.

Even better is her Brahms. Die Mainacht is dark and husky, the three songs from Deutsche Volkslieder (tr. 2, 7 and 8) light and warm and especially Feinsliebchen (tr. 2) is cajoled and coloured with obvious relish. An die Nachtigall is light, Auf dem Kirchhofe forceful and darkly brooding in the beginning, inward and filled resigned towards the end, sung with perfect legato. Wie bist du, meine Königin? is light and warm, Sonntag girlish and joyful, Wiegenlied simple and unaffected and, best of all, the beautiful contemplation on the moonlit nightscape of Ständchen.

The six Wiener Lieder, which conclude the disc, are sung with true affection and, having had to leave the Austrian capital three years earlier, the city, not of her dreams but of her life for so many years, there had to a large dose of nostalgia involved. Wien, du stadt meiner Träume, also a great favourite of Birgit Nilsson’s, who regularly sang it on her recitals, is sung with a light lilt and especially the reprise of the refrain is enticing. Unfortunately there is some distortion here and in the following song. Im Prater blüh’n wieder die Bäume is lovely and she caresses the slow melody in Heut’ macht die Welt, which may be a totally unknown song by Johann Strauss but in reality it is the well-known first waltz theme from Kaiser-Walzer, which Nico Dostal has adapted and amended.

Some readers may already own this compilation, since it was previously released on Romophone. Those who didn’t buy it then shouldn’t hesitate this time and they should also start saving up for the next volume in this series which will be due before long.

In short: some of the best Lieder singing from a golden era and the charming Viennese songs are sung with just as much feeling as the rest.

Göran Forsling

 

 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.