This
is the sixth and final disc in the Naxos series of Lotte Lehmann’s
Lieder recordings from 1935 onwards. Volume 5 contained her
last Columbia records, including the (almost) complete Die
schöne Müllerin from 1942. After a gap of five years she
returned to the studio, this time on RCA Victor, where she recorded
the first two volumes in this series. Five years is a long time
for a singer at the end of her career – she finally retired
in 1951, aged 63 – and the first question that is aroused is:
“Has the voice aged? Has it deteriorated?”
The
answer to first question is unavoidably: “Of course one can
hear that this is not a young singer, but not as much as could
be expected. It was a mature voice also back in 1942 and having
more and more reduced her appearances in opera and devoted much
of her time to song she hadn’t exposed her marvellous instrument
to too much tear and wear.” The answer to the second question
is simply: “No!” I have to qualify this statement a little:
Once or twice it seems that she has to labour the top notes
but otherwise she is utterly secure, the voice seems to obey
her every intention and that annoying vibrato that tends to
creep in and widen with advancing years is practically non-existent.
The tone is slightly darker and rounder, like a good red wine
that has matured in oak-barrels.
Readers
who have followed my Lieder Odyssey in Lotte Lehmann’s company
will know how much I admire her; not only for the sheer quality
of the singing but even more for her deep insights. The repertoire
here is a mix of old favourites that had followed her through
the years and some new material, at least as far as recordings
are concerned. This also shows that she wasn’t content to rest
on her laurels but wanted to explore new islands in the vast
Lieder archipelago.
Brahms’
Zigeunerlieder were new to her discography and the only
thing to regret is that she didn’t record the full cycle. But
the eight songs she recorded are valuable and they show that
her powers were undiminished. In fact there is an earthiness
to her singing that is wholly appropriate. The other Brahms
songs are also good and especially Feldeinsamkeit is
moving in its nobility and majesty.
As
in most of her earlier sessions she didn’t content herself with
setting down just a few songs. On 26 June 1947 she recorded
14 songs, which says something about her stamina. Moreover they
are all first takes, which shows how utterly secure she was:
not a sour tone to be corrected, not a phrase that she or the
producer wanted to improve. We should remember that in those
days the recording technique didn’t allow splicing together
pieces from several takes to a satisfying unit, so what we hear
on these sides is exactly what was recorded in one take.
Schubert
was always at the core of her repertoire and these are wonderful
readings; also Nacht und Träume, which surprisingly was
un-issued on 78rpm, the reason possibly that there was nothing
to couple it with. Der Erlkönig is a gem, where she differentiates
the characters well. This, by the way, is the only item on the
whole disc where a second take was used.
During
1947 she also had two sessions with orchestra. The first one,
in June, resulted in a Christmas record with a powerful Adeste
fidelis and full-voiced but still restrained Stille Nacht,
sung in German. The orchestral arrangements are discreet but
efficient and these are two tracks that still hold their own
in the flood of Christmas songs that are poured out every year.
In
the second orchestral session, held two days before Christmas
Eve, she recorded God Bless America as a tribute to her
adopted homeland, powerfully sung but not pompously. For The
Kerry Dance she lightens her voice and sounds a good deal
younger than her age. The two well-known German pieces, Schumann’s
Träumerei, vocalised, with a sweet solo violin introduction
and beautifully sung, and Brahms’ Wiegenlied, sincere
and hushed, were obviously also aimed at a popular market. Today
we may frown at this sweet treatment of ‘light classics’ but
they are certainly done with honesty and commitment.
For
her very last recording session, in March 1949, she chose some
French songs, which are stylish and intense. Reynaldo Hahn’s
songs are, to my mind, too rarely heard. During all my years
of concert going I can only remember one recital with
some Hahn included and that was Victoria de los Angeles in the
Wigmore Hall in 1990. The songs Ms Lehmann chose for this session
are two of his best. Duparc’s La vie antérieure is a
masterpiece, as are all his songs, and her reading is one of
the best things on this disc. Paladilhe is known, if at all,
almost exclusively for Psyché, which was quite popular
a century ago and recorded by several great singers during the
acoustic era. The song is simple but beautiful. The only other
piece by this composer I could find in my collection was a Tito
Schipa recording from 1924 of an aria from Suzanne, obviously
an opera.
The
last three songs in her recording career were, suitably enough,
by Richard Strauss. Strauss admired her and she championed his
works, not least during her operatic career, where she was the
Feldmarschallin, the Arabella and the Ariadne.
These songs were all new to her recorded repertoire and they
seem to rejuvenate her. In Die Zeitlose she sounds almost
girlish – “Timeless” indeed! The wonderful Du meines Herzens
Krönelein worthily crowns her recorded output.
Those
who have invested in the previous volumes should do so with
this one too. The six volumes together constitute one of most
important collections of Lieder recordings ever issued.
Göran
Forsling
Lotte Lehmann
(soprano) 
