This delightful disc
includes live performances by the great
Swedish soprano of music by two composers
with whose music she was strongly identified
throughout her distinguished career.
There is also an opportunity to hear
her in French music, a genre in which
I for one had not often heard her sing.
Her performance of
Ravel’s song cycle is a fine one, sung
in generally excellent French. She brings
passion and a wide emotional and tonal
range to ‘Asie’. She colours the words,
using the text most effectively, as
when she injects real bite to the line
"Je voudrais voir des assassins
souriant" (track 6, 5’47")
‘La Flûte enchantée’, besides
featuring more superb vocal artistry,
is also distinguished by some wonderful
flute playing by the BBCSO’s principal
flautist. Finally, ‘L’Indifférent’
is subtly etched by all concerned, Söderström
beautifully conveying the tristesse
of the setting. I should say that the
performance benefits hugely from the
typically fastidious care with which
Boulez handles both the exquisite details
and the broader canvas of Ravel’s orchestral
score.
The Ravel was given
at a Henry Wood Promenade concert. So
too were the earliest items on the CD,
namely the Countess Almaviva’s two arias
from Figaro. This was a role
that Söderström often sang
to great acclaim at Glyndebourne and,
indeed, elsewhere. In his liner
note Alan Blyth describes these arias
as being sung in "immaculately
shaped Mozart Style." I agree entirely.
Söderström sings both of them
with aristocratic poise, feminine dignity
and a fine dramatic conviction. As with
everything else here she consistently
displays a wonderful sense of line.
She is well supported by Sir John Pritchard,
with whom she frequently collaborated
at Glyndebourne.
There’s a strong Glyndebourne
link with another of the items included
here. Söderström was an adored
exponent there of the role of the "other"
Countess, namely the heroine of Strauss’s
Capriccio. Here, in the closing
monologue we have a wonderful souvenir
of her portrayal of Countess Madeleine.
The extract begins with the Moonlight
Music that prefaces the monologue. There
is some distinguished playing here from
the RPO under Antal Dorati, a fine Strauss
conductor who was perhaps unfairly overshadowed
in this respect by the likes of Karajan
and Kempe. The RPO’s principal horn
is on particularly fine form. Söderström
conveys the vulnerability and sensuousness
of Countess Madeleine to perfection.
She sings with glorious expressiveness,
once again using the words superbly,
and her tone is consistently expansive
and lustrous. This is Strauss singing
of great distinction.
I’ve left the best
till last, though in fact the performance
of Strauss’s Four Last Songs
opens the disc. I’ve lost count of the
number of versions in my CD collection
of Strauss’s final expression of love
for the soprano voice. Suffice it to
say that this performance ranks with
the very best of them. Söderström
soars ecstatically, rapturously in ‘Frühling’
while the vocal melismas in ‘September’
are gloriously and effortlessly done.
At the end of this song the wonderful
horn-led epilogue is raptly played,
typifying the distinguished support
from Dorati and his orchestra. My personal
favourite of the songs, ‘Beim Schlafengehen’
receives a deeply satisfying reading.
A lovely, tender violin solo prefaces
the unforgettable phrase "Und die
Seele, unbewacht", which is ardently
and gloriously delivered as, indeed,
is the whole of the final stanza. Finally,
there’s a tremendously atmospheric and
distinguished performance of ‘Im Abendrot’
to close a truly memorable reading of
these marvellous songs. No wonder the
audience cheered.
This is a treasurable
disc, which vividly recalls one of the
greatest soprano voices of the second
half of the last century. The recorded
sound is very good in the Strauss items
(these are in stereo) and perfectly
acceptable in the (mono) Ravel and Mozart.
The one blot on this release is the
continuation of BBC Legend’s reprehensible
policy of not providing texts and translations.
(They are available on the IMG website
but that’s an inadequate substitute.)
However, set beside singing and interpretation
of such distinction and vitality that’s
a small complaint. This is a disc which
has given me the utmost pleasure from
start to finish and which ought to be
in the collection of every aficionado
of great singing. This is certainly
going to be one of my Recordings of
the Year and I hope that everyone else
who buys it enjoys it as much as I did.
Recommended with the
greatest possible enthusiasm.
John Quinn
Elisabeth Söderström (soprano) 