1) Die Vögel
2) Liebhaber in allen Gestalten
3) An die Musik
4) Im Frühling
5) Wehmut
6) Ganymed
7) Das Lied im Grünen
8) Gretchen am Spinnrade
9) Nahe des Geliebten
10) Die junge Nonne
11) An Silvia
12) Auf dem Wasser zu singen
13) Nachtviolen
14) Der Musensohn
15) Litanei
16) Ungeduld
17) Heidenröslein
18) Der Jungling an der Quelle
19) Der Einsame
20) Die Forelle
21) Liebe schwarmt auf allen Wegen
22) Seligkeit
23) An mein Klavier
24) Erlkönig
This is a wonderful
and most welcome release of Dame Elisabeth
Schwarzkopf’s Schubert recordings. They
were made between 1948 and 1966. Amazingly
Schwarzkopf stated her doubts concerning
the propriety of a woman’s voice singing
most of Schubert's songs.
The majority of Schubert’s
songs were not only first performed
by men but his settings were of poems
that looked at life and love from a
man's point of view, although today
it is common for woman to sing Schubert
lieder. It is regretful that Schwarzkopf
never recorded Schubert’s two great
song-cycles Winterreise and Die Schöne
Müllerin although Winterreise entered
her repertoire later in her career.
Such gender concerns,
and any others, can immediately be set
aside once Schwarzkopf, accompanied
by Gerald Moore, embarks on the two
tiny songs with which this programme
opens and then launches into what is
undoubtedly one of the greatest Schubert
recitals ever recorded. In the next
twelve songs Schwarzkopf is accompanied
by Edwin Fischer, a peerless Schubertian
in unforgettable and noble performances.
Gerald Moore returns as the distinguished
accompanist in another eight lieder
with Schwarzkopf being joined by the
eminent Geoffrey Parsons for the final
two works on the recital
In the 1948 and 1952
recordings, Schwarzkopf’s soprano is
engaging, youthful and fresh. No less
impressive are the subsequent performances
with Gerald Moore and Geoffrey Parsons
which cover the next fourteen years
on this disc where our soprano’s interpretations
sound particularly spontaneous and relaxed
with that incredible golden tone.
Schwarzkopf’s involved
performance of Erlkönig, one of
her own favourite Schubert songs, is
full of drama and is my personal favourite
on this collection by a considerable
distance. I have never come across a
singer of lieder who sings with as much
expression combined with a sublime beauty
of tone in this almost faultless collection
of songs.
The sound quality of
the digitally remastered recording is
excellent. Lieder recitals just don’t
get much better than this. Truly a great
recording of the century.
Michael Cookson
Great
Recordings of the Century
Elizabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano) 