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Soprano Duets Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Irmgard Seefried - Claudio MONTEVERDI (1567–1643) 1. Io son pur vezzosetta pastorella [3:06]
2. Ardo scoprir [3:33]
3. Baci cari [3:07]
4. Dialogo di ninfa e pastore [4:08]
Giacomo CARISSIMI (1605–1674) 5. Detesta la cativa sorte in amore [4:10]
6. Lungi omai [2:31]
7. Il mio core [3:31]
8. A pič d’un verde alloro [3:10]
Antonin DVOŘÁK
(1841–1904) Moravian Duets, Op. 32, Nos. 1-13:
9. Ich schwimm’ dir davon [2:17]
10. Fliege, Vöglein [2:41]
11. Wenn die Sense [1:09]
12. Freundlich lass uns scheiden
[1:00] 13. Der kleine Acker [1:04] 14. Die Taube auf dem Ahorn
[1:21] 15. Wasser und Weinen [2:30] 16. Die Bescheidene [1:38] 17. Der Ring [2:07] 18. Grüne, du Gras! [3:12] 19. Die Gefangene [2:07] 20. Der Trost [3:23] 21. Wilde Rose [2:43] Engelbert HUMPERDINCK
(1854–1921) Hansel und Gretel: 22. Suse, Liebe, Suse … Brüderchen,
komm, tanz mit mir [9:38] Richard STRAUSS (1864–1949) Der Rosenkavalier:
23. Herrgott im Himmel! (Presentation of
the Silver Rose) [11:26]
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
and Irmgard Seefried (soprano)
Gerald Moore (piano) (1-21), Philharmonia Orchestra/Josef
Krips (22); Wiener Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan(23)
rec. No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London, 25-27 May,
1955 (1-21), 26-27 September, 1947 (22); Musikvereinsaal, Vienna,
9 December 1947
Texts and translations included
EMI CLASSICS GREAT
RECORDINGS OF THE CENTURY 3 92057 2 [75:56]
When
the LP from which the greater portion of this disc derives was
recorded in 1955 the so-called authentic movement, striving
for historically correct performances of early music, was still
in its infancy. True, August Wenzinger in Basle was an early
stickler for authentic sounds - his recordings of the Brandenburg
concertos were epoch-making. In his complete L’Orfeo
he also insisted on authenticity as regards the instrumental
parts. The singing was another matter. Good as many of the soloists
are, not least the experienced Bach singer Helmut Krebs in the
title role, there is still a feeling of later periods in much
of it. That is also the impression one has when hearing the
two superb sopranos on the present disc. They were greatly admired
in their day for their Mozart singing and their Lieder interpretations
– and still are. It is in this vein that they also tackle Monteverdi
and Carissimi. The results are musically attractive. They are
warm and nuanced and sing with careful attention to the texts.
Moreover their voices match splendidly. The inauthentic piano
is played by the ever-sensitive Gerald Moore with such lightness
of touch that I initially thought it was a harpsichord, or at
least a fortepiano. I can’t believe anyone hearing this recording
for the first time, not knowing the music and with no special
insight in authentic performance practice, will be anything
but enthralled by the two ladies. Charm and communication were
keywords in their artistic vocabulary and that is exactly what
these performances radiate.
Going
to representatives for the authentic camp for comparison can
be instructive. However. I couldn’t find more than one item
in my collection, but this was enough. It was the very first
duet, Io son pur vezzosetta pastorella, in a recording
from 1987 with Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb. Playing the two
versions in rapid succession showed clear differences. In opposition
to warm and beautiful vibrato of Schwarzkopf and Seefried, Kirkby
and Tubb sing with leaner voices, whiter if you like. There’s
a minimum of vibrato and an even lighter touch. The effect can
be startling. When the two older voices sing together the outcome
can be illustrated by two sine curves intertwining, resulting
in slightly muddled chords. When the straight voices meet the
chords are absolutely clean. This also means that dissonance
is also painfully dissonant, which listeners in Monteverdi’s
time no doubt took for granted. Anthony Rooley’s lute with its
frailer tone also makes a great difference. Let me just stress
once more that the difference lies in approach, not quality.
The
Dvořák duets are a quite different matter. Many composers
in the 19th century wrote duets, notably, in the
generation before Dvořák, both Schumann and Mendelssohn.
That they are rarely heard has nothing to do with the quality
of the music but the dearth of opportunities to perform them.
Concert organizers are seldom willing to risk money on hiring
two sopranos instead of one. And in the case of Dvořák
this is a pity since the songs are endearing. Schwarzkopf and
Seefried obviously felt that way since they lavish all their
charm and interpretative skill on the duets. Heard all in a
row they might be slightly monotonous – Dvorak’s fault, not
that of the singers – but heard three or four at a time they
are true delicatessen!
The
two “fillers” are much more than that: two classics that should
always be available and even those who don’t bother a brass
farthing about Monteverdi, Carissimi and Dvořák should
still contemplate a purchase of the disc for the sake of the
Humperdinck and Strauss. Recorded in 1947 when Schwarzkopf was
32 and Seefried 28, they are here caught when they were at their
freshest. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s voice was at that time almost
soubrettish while Seefried from the outset of her career in
the early 1940s had that almost mezzo-like darkish timbre. I
may misuse the word but the only adjective in my vocabulary
that seems suitable for the Hansel und Gretel duet is
‘endearing’, while ‘heavenly’ seems the adequate word for the
presentation of the silver rose from Rosenkavalier. Both
singers recorded the opera complete later on, Schwarzkopf with
Karajan on HMV but then as Feldmarschallin, while Seefried remained
Octavian more than a decade later on the Böhm recording for
DG. Karajan is at the helm of the VPO here and the silvery string
tone has a unique glow. When Schwarzkopf sails up high above
the orchestra at Wie himmliche, nicht irdische, wir Rosen
vom hochheiligen Paradies, this is definitely one of the
most magical moments in the world of recorded opera.
The
sound is impressive even in the 1947 items. As always with this
admirable GROC series the documentation is impeccable with full
texts and translation and an appreciation by John Steane. Go
out and buy!