Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder; Arabella

On this CD:

1. Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs), for voice & orchestra, AV 150
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Conducted by Otto Ackermann

2. Capriccio, opera, Op. 85 Morgen mittag um elf!
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Conducted by Otto Ackermann

3. Arabella, opera, Op. 79 Ich danke, Fräulein
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Anny Felbermayer
Conducted by Lovro von Matacic

4. Arabella, opera, Op. 79 Mein Elemer!
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Anny Felbermayer
Conducted by Lovro von Matacic

5. Arabella, opera, Op. 79 Sie wollen mich heiraten
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Josef Metternich
Conducted by Lovro von Matacic

6. Arabella, opera, Op. 79 Und jetzt sag' ich adieu
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Walter Berry, Murray Dickie
Conducted by Lovro von Matacic

7. Arabella, opera, Op. 79 Das war sehr gut, Mandryka
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Josef Metternich
Conducted by Lovro von Matacic

Tracks:

Ach War Ich Schon (Fidelio)
Non So Piu (Le Nozze Di Figaro)
Porgi, Amor (Le Nozze Di Figaro)
E Susanna Non Vien!...Dove Sono (Le Nozze Di Figaro)
Mi Tradi Quell'Alma Ingrata (Don Giovanni)
Come Scoglio (Cosi Fan Tutti)
Leise, Leise, Fromme Weise (Der Freischutz)
Dich, Teure Halle (Tannhauser)
Einsam In Truben Tagen (Lohengrin)
Wie Fremd Und Tot (Die Verkaufte Braut)
Bruderchen, Komm, Tanz Mit Mir (Hansel Und Gretel)
Da Geht Er Hin (Der Rosenkavalier)
Es Gibt Ein Reich (Ariadne Auf Naxos) - Richard Strauss
Das War Sehr Gut (Arabella)

Tracks:

Jauchzet Gott In Allen Landen
Bist Du Bei Mir
Ridente La Calma
An Die Musik
Der Musensohn
Nachtviolen
Der Musensohn
Auch Kleine Dinge
Mein Liebster Ist So Klein
Verschling' Der Abgrund
Ich Hab' In Penna
Wiegenlied Im Sommer
Mausfallenspruchlein
In Dem Schatten Meiner Locken
Mignon (Kennst Du Das Land?)
Gsatzli (Swiss Folksong)
Fruhling
Im Abendrot
Muttertandelei
Zueignung
Klange Der Heimat (Die Fledermaus)
Es Lebt'Eine Vilja (Die Lustige Witwe)
Im Chambre Separee (Der Opemball)
Wien, Du Stadt Meiner Traume

Amazon.com

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was certainly one of the greatest singers of her own, or indeed any other time. An obsessive perfectionist, her flawless technique and intonation over a huge range, vocal flexibility, breath control, phrasing, stylistic versatility, and above all her focused, radiantly beautiful sound were matchless and incomparable. All these are on full display on this generous 2-CD set, which features over a dozen arias, songs by Schubert, Wolf and Richard Strauss, and some lighter fare. The recordings were made between 1950 and 1967, and the singing becomes better and better, the voice richer and more varied, the expression deeper and more immediate. Not surprisingly, the peaks come in the arias from her signature roles in Mozart's Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte; Richard Strauss' Ariadne, Rosenkavalier, and Arabella, which rise to real ecstasy; and arias from Weber's Freischütz and Smetana's Bartered Bride, which are wonderfully intimate and touching. She is less convincing in roles she never sang on stage, and the "childish" voice she cultivated especially for Hänsel and Gretel is unnatural and contrived. The same is true of the last two "popular" numbers, which sound condescending and artificial. The songs, however, have all her customary finesse and inwardness; the Wolf group, perhaps chosen for its gentle humor, is charming, while Strauss' "Four Last Songs" (represented by two) shimmer and soar. Schwarzkopf's singing had instantly recognizable characteristics: a tendency to hold back both vocally and emotionally, giving a sense of noble restraint, but also of cool detachment; excessive use of color and nuance, creating a fussy, calculated and somewhat artificial air. Only rarely does she "let go" with full voice and spontaneous feeling. However, as these recordings show, she invariably inspires admiration and captures ear and heart through the inimitable, glorious beauty of her voice. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Fine anthology but still prefer her "Four Last Songs" recording.......2006-11-06

The engineering and audio quality of these 1960's performances are surprisingly good. The songs are wonderfully peformed and cover a range of periods and styles, but I find myself returning to her recording (also re-released on CD) of Strauss' "Four Last Songs", which I would give 6 stars -- my favorite recording of all time.

RIP DAME ELIZABETH (1915-2006).......2006-08-04

This set is a fine tribute to this extraordinary singer and musician. I was saddened to read about her passing. She had a long life (90 years) and inspired a whole generation of singers and music lovers throughout the world.

SCHWARZKOPF ----- ONE OF THE GREATS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.......2006-01-29

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's career is what legends are made of. She is every bit as fundamental to classical singing in the twentieth century as is Maria Callas. Schwarzkopf sang with refinement, polish, beauty of voice, and meticulous articulation. She was the greatest Mozart and Strauss soprano of her day; her ability to sing the operetta music of Lehar, Suppe', and Johann Strauss has not been equalled; she performed with distinction orchestral compositions of Mahler, Brahms, Bach, and Handel; her Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, and Mahler lieder were exemplary. She sang many operatic roles, far more than many people realize, and was certainly the definitive Marshallin in "Rosenkavalier" throughout the 1950's and 1960'. I saw her many times in recital in Chicago, and even at the time of her farewell (which I was fortunate enough to see), she was sublime. All of the superlative qualities of Schwarzkopf are generously demonstrated throughout these two wonder CD's. Virtually every item is magnificent (though obviously some will prefer some to others) and has the detailed Schwarzkopf imprint stamped right into the music. This CD, great as it is, represents only a very small part of the greatness of Schwarzkopf. I already own tons of her operas and recitals, from which many of the items here come from. But for the sake of completeness, I will probably add it. A person who loves great singing can never have too much of the art of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. She's a vocal icon.

¡PERFECT!.......2005-02-10

I only want to say that you can hear, in this double cd, one of the great singers of all time. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Why? Because she sings all the arias and lieder with pure of tone, brilliance, perfect inflexion, modulation, excellent control breath, measured vibrato, and, all above, great emision of colours. She is master in this art.

PERFECTA INTERPRETACIÓN.......2005-02-09

La mejor recopilación de la discografía de Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Su belleza de voz, la impecable hilación de frases, y, sobre todo, su expresiva interpretación son algunas de las sorpresas que se podrán escuchar en estos dos discos. Sin duda, UNA DE LAS MEJORES SOPRANOS DEL SIGLO XX.

Strauss: Four Last Songs, Arabella/Della Casa (Vier letzte Lieder)

Average customer rating:

Mesmerizing
NOT TO BE MISSED
The Perfect Rendition?

Strauss: Four Last Songs, Arabella/Della Casa (Vier letzte Lieder)

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Strauss: Ein Heldenleben - Four Last Songs / Auger, Previn
Four Last Songs / Orchestral Songs
Richard Strauss - Capriccio / Schwarzkopf, Wächter, Gedda, Fischer-Dieskau, Hotter, Ludwig, Moffo, Philharmonia Orchestra, Sawallisch

ASIN: B00004XQ8H
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Tracks:

Four Last Songs: Beim Schlafengehen
Four Last Songs: September
Four Last Songs: Fruhling
Four Last Songs: I'm Abendrot
Arabella: Er ist der Richtige nicht fur mich...Aber der Richtige
Arabella: Der Richtige - so hab ich stets zu mir gesagt...Und du wirst mein Gebieter sein
Arabella: Das war sehr gut, Mandryka
Ariande auf Naxos: Es gibt ein Reich
Capriccio: Orchestral introduction
Capriccio: Wo ist mein Bruder?
Capriccio: Morgen mittag um elf!
Capriccio: Kein Andres, das mir so im Herzen loht
Capriccio: Ihre Liebe schlagt mir entgegen

Customer Reviews:

Mesmerizing.......2004-10-20

From the day it was released all those years ago, this remains one of the most beautiful (Strauss) recordings ever made. It's been available in different versions (I have the earlier release that includes the Wesendonck Lieder with Flagstaf), but it's worth it to get this one for the opera arias. I'm not a big fan of these operas, but it's unlikely you'll ever hear them sung with more beauty or understanding. You may have another favorite recording of the Songs, but you owe it to yourself to listen to what Della Casa does here. And not to slight Bohm either; he obviously knew this music inside out, and is miles ahead of most of his competition.

NOT TO BE MISSED.......2000-11-26

As one record reviewer put it: "It was a voice unlike any other." Indeed, for sheer vocal beauty no one matches Lisa della Casa, and a quick sampling of this disc's contents will demonstrate why Strauss himself identified her as his ideal Arabella. The voice's glory was its upper register: full, free, intensely colored, and exciting. But she had other gifts: superlative breath control (amazing in this music), naturalness of utterance, and perfect diction. Her tone quality suggests restrained emotion, and although she is Swiss, I can think of no singer who evokes Viennese elegance better. I like lots of singers past and present, and I admire many, but I worship this voice. If the house were on fire, I'd grab this CD before jumping out the window.

Although the Boehm-led 'Four Last Songs' are a classic performance, I find they are my least favorite part of this recording. Boehm's tempos are a little fast and della Casa, for all her beauty, sounds disengaged. But from then on she is matchless. The 'Arabella' duets are stunning, both for the singer's high level of vocal accomplishment and her ability to convey the character's changing moods. She sounds so genuine and unaffected and the voice is so gorgeous that I find myself drawn into the drama as with no other singer. She has good partners in Gueden and Schoeffler, but Poell brays relentlessly. Her rendition of the passage beginning "Und du wirst mein Gebieter sein" is my number one tear-inducing moment in all of recorded history. The 'Ariadne' aria is nicely sung, although she was even better a few years later for EMI/Testament. The 'Capriccio' final scene is ravishing from beginning to end, with della Casa's voice soaring gloriously above the Vienna Philharmonic's lush carpet of sound. For once you will see the moonlight shimmer during the orchestral interlude. It's almost too rich and delicious, like Sachertorte for breakfast.

Decca's remastering brings the singer forward and gives the orchestra more presence, but am I the only one who misses some high frequencies as a result? Although there are some terrific Strauss sopranos around these days, no one should be without della Casa. She DEFINES Strauss singing. Don't deny yourself this superlative musical experience.

The Perfect Rendition?.......2000-10-10

Lisa della Casa's recording of the Four Last Songs has been a part of my life for the past twenty years; and in my book it beats all the competition, past, present and (probably) future. It may not be your perfect rendition, because one's response to a voice is such a personal, unpredictable thing; but it is certainly mine. Della Casa's shimmering, silvery soprano soars radiantly above the lush, romantic orchestration; and even after many, many times of listening to this disc, I still find something new in it. I never get tired of it, and it never fails to move me. The excerpts from Arabella are also excellent, although not as well recorded as the Four Last Songs. However, they reward repeated listening, and they preserve della Casa's celebrated interpretation of Arabella (her most famous stage role). Even if you have heard other interpreters of the Four Last Songs, and have your own favourite, please give this a try. For sheer tonal beauty, it cannot be beaten.

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf ~ Strauss - Four Last Songs, Capriccio, Arabella

Average customer rating:

perfection
Schwarzkopf's Richard Strauss' opera and lieder is wonderful
An exhilarating and magical performance!

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf ~ Strauss - Four Last Songs, Capriccio, Arabella

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Strauss: Four Last Songs/12 Orchestral Songs
The Very Best of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Music of Peter Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto

ASIN: B000002RZR
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Vier letzte Lieder: Fruelhing (Hesse)
Vier letzte Lieder: ii) September (Hesse)
Vier letzte Lieder: iii) Beim Schlafengehen (Hesse)
Vier letzte Lieder: Im Abendrot (Eichendorff)
Capriccio: Morgen mittag um elf
Arabella: --extracts 1) Ich danke, Fauelein
Arabella: 2) Mein Elemer
Arabella: 3) Sie wolln mich heiraten
Arabella: 4) Das war sehr gut

Customer Reviews:

perfection.......2006-02-20

Here are pretty good short poems; given a very good setting-to-music by Strauss ("I am not a first-class composer, but I am a first-rate second class composer"); performed to perfection by Schwartzkopf, her voice at age 38(?) still capable of anything. If you've heard her wonderful variety of personas (sometimes two at the same time!) in Brahms' "Deutsche Volkslieder" with Dieskau, also highly recommended, you'll know the distinctive timbre she can impose, almost note-by-note, and her magical, unerring choice of the right one. She owns these songs, making others sound hypnotized or athletic or uncaring. If "Beim Schlafengehen" doesn't bring you close to tears, it will when you're older! Don't miss it, life is too short.

Schwarzkopf's Richard Strauss' opera and lieder is wonderful.......2001-02-27

There are three recordings of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's Four Last Songs. The first one is this one, and the second is the live recording with Herbert von Karajan, and the other is the famous and considered to be the best one: with Szell from EMI. Yes, I agree with the third one is very excellent. But this one with Ackerman has its own charm. Schwarzkopf's voice is much beautiful than that of third recording. If you dislike the third recording, this one may be your favorite.

And we can hear the closing scene of "Capriccio." Recently, EMI has reissued the complete recording of it starring Schwarzkopf. I can enjoy hearing this recording, especially the recitativo at first. And the most important point of this recording is the hornist: Dennis Brain. Schwarzkopf and Brain were very wonderful. (Speaking of the complete recording of "Capriccio", Dennis Brain didn't attend at this recording.)

When it comes to "Arabella", it was originally recorded as "Highlight album". Schwarzkopf's Arabella is as wonderful as that of Lisa Della Casa.

I think this recording is recommentable for anyone who loves Richard Strauss' opera and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. If you aren't fan of them, you try it.

An exhilarating and magical performance!.......2000-04-15

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf has been accused of just about every misdeed. Some of her critics and detractors say that she is mannered, that they can't listen to her performances because of her fastidious care for words, that she was a Nazi, that her perfectionist husband, EMI's musical artistic director and genius Walter Legge, reduced her to a master-slave relationship, that she was rapacious when pursuing her musical career, that she was Goebbels' favourite in Berlin and became his lover...

If she were mannered there would not be so many GREAT RECORDINGS OF THE CENTURY due to her in the EMI catalog. She was Furtwängler's favorite soprano; he even insisted in accompanying her on the piano for an all-Wolf Salzburg Liederabend; she was sought-after by pianists of the stature of Walter Gieseking, Edwin Fischer, Giorgio Favoretto. She sang in performances with Karajan, Böhm, Szell; she mingled her voice with, for example, Ferrier's, Seefried's, Tauber's, Gedda's, de los Angeles', Fischer'Dieskau's. And she was deeply attached and identified with Gerald Moore, who so adored the soprano.

If she performed some deeds in Nazi Germany; if she was rapacious, or Goebbels' mistress, or a "slave" in her marriage, who are we to judge her? Thanks to her ambition is that we have the richness of her recordings, and the musical world is illuminated with her sparkling interpretations.

I apologise for this digression, but I considered it important as a context for this recording.

Dame Elisabeth sang Strauss' Four Last Songs probably more than any other song cycle, either on stage or in the recording studio. There are three EMI recordings, this is the earlier one, with Ackermann and the Philarmonia; there is the one with Szell and the Berlin RIAS, and the one included in the commemorative set of Schwarzkopf's 80th birthday, "Umpublished Recordings", with Karajan and the Philarmonia.

My favorite is this one because it shows a younger Schwarzkopf, more natural, spontaneous, with more power at her command, and with complete identification with conductor who very easily follows her or viceversa in a perfect match of voice and orchestral playing, as is the case with Beim Schlafengehen. The text in which Strauss based this song is Hermann Hesse's. Listening carefully to Schwarzkopf's enunciation one wonders at what a marvelous story-teller she was. Yes, I do prefer this recording to the other two. With Szell, Schwarzkopf was 53 years-old, and this particular song had to be transposed 1/2 tone down.

Yes, thanks to her "rapacious" careerism the world knew what a true artist is. With her one has to know what she is singing, what she is saying, what she is telling, what stories she is narrating, what worlds she is referring to.

Tracks:

Giulio Cesare: Act III, Aria: 'Da Tempeste Il Legno Infranto' - Gundula Janowitz
Giulio Cesare: Act I, Aria: 'Svegliatevi Nel Core' - Tatiana Troyano
Die Zauberflote: Aria: 'O Zittere Nicht' - Arleen Auger
Le Nozze Di Figaro: Act II, Arietta: 'Voi Che Sapete' - Tatiana Troyanos
Le Nozze Di Figaro: Act IV, Recitative And Aria: 'Giunse Alfin Il Momento'/'Deh Vieni, Non Tardar' - Arleen Auger
Le Nozze Di Figaro: Act III, Recitative And Aria: 'E Susanna Non Vien'/'Dove Son' - Gundala Janowitz
Arabella: 'Aber Der Richtige, Wenn's Einen Gibt' - Gundula Janowitz/Arleen Auger
Ariadne Auf Naxos: Final Prologue: 'Sein Wir Wieder Gut' - Tatiana Troyanos
Ariadne Auf Naxos: 'Grossmachtige Prinzessin' - Arleen Auger
Vier Letzte Lieder: 'Fruhling' - Gundula Janowitz
Vier Letzte Lieder: 'Im Abendrot' - Gundula Janowitz

Tracks:

Der Rosenkavalier: Trio: 'Marie Theres'!/'Hab' Mir's Gelobt' - Gundula Janowitz/Tatiana Troyanos/Arleen Auger
Der Rosenkavalier: Duet: 'Ist Ein Traum, Kann Nicht Wirklich Sein' - Arleen Auger/Tatiana Troyanos
Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail: Act III, Aria: 'Ich Baue Ganz Auf Deine Starke' - Nicolai Gedda
Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail: Act I, Aria: 'Ach Ich Liebte, War So Glucklich' - Arleen Auger
Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail: Act III, Recitative And Duet: 'Welch Ein Geschick' - Arleen Auger/Nicolai Gedda
Capriccio: Scene 4, Sonnet: 'Kein Andres, Das Mir So Im Herzen Loht' - Nicolai Gedda
Ariadne Auf Naxos: 'Grossmachtige Prinzessin' - Arleen Auger
Les Pecheurs De Perles: Act III, Scene: 'Oh! Ciel, Quel Trouble!' - Nicolai Gedda
Lakme: Act II: 'Ou Va La Jeune Indoue' - Arleen Auger
Benvenuto Cellini: Tableau 4, Scene 8: 'Seul Pour Lutter, Seul Avec Mon Courage' - Nicolai Gedda

Customer Reviews:

Sheer Delight!.......1999-05-20

Three great artists in their prime, in ravishing live performances. What a treat! Janowtiz's Handel is less than exciting, and why Arleen Auger sings Zerbinetta's aria TWICE is beyond me, but those quibbles aside, these generously filled discs are a sheer delight

Average customer rating:

Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder; Arabella

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Strauss: Four Last Songs/12 Orchestral Songs
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ASIN: B00004YU8F
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Tracks:

Four Last Songs: Fruhling
Four Last Songs: September
Four Last Songs: Beim Schlafengehen
Four Last Songs: Im Abendrot
Capriccio: Closing Scene: Morgen Mittag Um Elf!
Arabella: Akt 1: Ich Danke, Fraulein - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Anny Felbermayer
Arabella: Akt 1: Mein Elemer! - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Anny Felbermayer
Arabella: Akt 2: Sie Wollen Mich Heiraten - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Josef Metternich
Arabella: Akt 2: Und Jetzt Sag' Ich Adieu - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Harald Proglhof/Murray Dickie/Walter Berry
Arabella: Akt 3: Das War Sehr Gut, Mandryka - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Josef Metternich

Average customer rating:

BUY IT FOR THE ARABELLA SCENES

R. Strauss: Four Last Songs

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001O3Y76
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Tracks:

Fruhling
September
Beim Schlafengehen
Im Abendrot
Closing Scene: Morgen Mittag Um Elf!
Act 1: Ich Danke, Fraulein
Act 1: Mein Elemer!
Act 2: Sie Wollen Mich Heiraten
Act 2: Und Jetzt Sag' Ich Adieu
Act 3: Das War Sehr Gut, Mandryka

Customer Reviews:

BUY IT FOR THE ARABELLA SCENES .......2006-08-01

In the days following WWII, and indeed right up through the 1980s, the conventional/critical "line" on Richard Strauss was that he "lost it" after composing ELEKTRA & ROSENKAVALIER.

EMI producer Walter Legge was classical music's "man with the golden gut" (as Fred Silverman was to TV, in his day). Going against the grain of what was considered "safe" repetoire, Legge, with these early LP scenes from ARABELLA & CAPRICCIO, truly stuck his neck out. Not to mention his 1954 ARIADNE - the first-ever commercial recording of what may be Strauss's best opera - and the legendary album of Dennis Brain playing the HORN CONCERTOS.

True, Decca had already recorded Della Casa in a superb CAPRICCIO Finale, and three scenes from ARABELLA. But frankly, those ARABELLA scenes sound like run-throughs. Comparative listening will reveal that those early Decca snippets were not prepared or produced with anywhere near the care or commitment of these Legge sessions, which vindicated his instinct that there really was a market for at least some of the post-ROSENKAVALIER Strauss. This laid the commercial groundwork for full-length recordings of DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN, ARABELLA, DAPHNE and CAPRICCIO.

Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf never sang a live Ariadne or Arabella in her career- which makes these ARABELLA scenes a precious artifact of the post-war Golden Age of Great Straussian Singing and Conducting : Bohm, Solti, Sawallisch, Reiner, the earlier "pre-slick" Karajan, Della Casa, Schwarzkopf, Rysanek (WHY do I torture myself like this?). It was one of the mercies of Strauss's later years that he lived to see the beginnings of this flowering...After hearing her sing the role of Czdenka, he told Della Casa that, one day, she would be THE Arabella. And after Solti came to Garmisch to converse with him, Strauss- only days from death- muttered, "It's too late for me. But that young man gives me some hope."

Arabella : this is a role in which Dame Elisabeth's fabled "calculatedness" is actually CALLED FOR. Only Lisa Della Casa (who had an even greater bel-canto INSTRUMENT) could give her a run for her money in these scenes, and even then, only in part. Schwarzkopf portrays a young woman whose circumstances have indeed forced her to "caluclate," but she also shows the warmth and humanity behind Arabella's diamond-hard brilliance. (After all, she betrays NOBODY. And the crucial scene in Act II, where she takes a last waltz with her three former suitors, is the essence of tact and compassion.)

Five scenes are featured here, but six were actually recorded
(for an old EMI LP called "ARABELLA: The Great Scenes"). Schwarzkopf does not appear in the scene which never made it to CD. It begins with "Welko, das Bild": Mandryka and his servant (who holds a photograph of Arabella) pay a visit to the Waldner's hotel suite, looking for "Das schones Fraulein mit dem Gesicht" ("the pretty girl with the face"). In this scene, Josef Metternich, clearly the greatest Mandryka on record, makes us regret that he never recorded the role complete. George London (on the 1957 Solti) and Fischer-Diskau (on the live 1963 Keilberth and the 1981 Sawallisch) both make a heroic effort. But in projection of outdoor Slavic ambiance and nobility, and in sheer PIPES, neither of them could buff Metternich's riding boots . (Surely EMI could feature this scene on a Metternich retrospective of some kind; come on, guys: CHOP-CHOP.)

Two sad omissions: during these 1953-54 sessions, the ARABELLA "Staircase" music (preceding "Dass war sehr gut, Mandryka") was not recorded. Nor was the CAPRICCIO "Moonlight" Music - with its famous horn solo - which could have preceded this recording of the Finale (Schwarzkopf's first). No doubt this earlier version was a "trial run" for the complete CAPRICCIO of 4 years later. And in 1953 Legge, the Philharmonia, and solo horn Dennis Brain must have thought they had all the time in the world. But, as we know, they did not...The sessions for the complete CAPRICCIO (with Schwarzkopf, Sawallisch and the Philharmonia) would begin on September 2, 1957- the morning after Dennis Brain dozed at the wheel and wrapped his sports car around a tree. And that later version of the Finale is superior in every way- playing, recording, conducting, and in the depth of Dame Elisabeth's interpretation. Still, Dennis Brain never recorded the Moonlight Music. (Alan Civil, in his place, plays poignantly. But it must have been gut-wrenching for all those present; this was supposed to be Dennis Brain's moment.)

And a minor complaint: the Act II scene, beginning with "Und jezt sag' ich adieu" may have been abbreviated by as much as 3 or 4 minutes...I distinctly recall the old LP version of this scene, and how it included the passage where Czdenka slips Matteo the key to "Arabella's Zimmer." Was this in order to squeeze the Four Last Songs, the Capriccio Finale and these Arabella scenes all onto the same disc? (This disc's total time is over 77 minutes, so apparently, once that "editorial decision" was made, they had to cut, somewhere. So bye-bye Czdenka, Matteo & "the key," and syanora "Welko, das Bild.")
If this is what happened, EMI should have put out a COMPLETE single disc of ALL the Arabella excerpts recorded at these sessions; and then they could have issued another disc, with the Ackermann/Schwarzkopf Four Last Songs & Capriccio Finale, and maybe filled out with Schwarzkopf's earlier, mono Strauss Lieder and Rosenkavalier scenes. Or even a two-disc set with ALL of this material. It would have been a lot better: but no, but no.

The CAPRICCIO Finale and the Four Last Songs are both conducted by Otto Ackermann- a supreme genius at operetta, but a bit out of his depth in mature Richard Strauss. But this could never be said of Lovro von Matacic, whose masterful conducting of the ARABELLA scenes makes us wish this had been a complete recording. Lyrical where Solti was sometimes MANIC, he rests with ease on the edge of the Straussian "razor blade," balancing all those moments of arioso lyricism against "conversational exposition."

Dame Elisabeth was to re-record the Four Last Songs in stereo, with George Szell and the Berlin Radio Orchestra, in 1965. Even with "Fruhling" transposed down a half-step, that later recording is perhaps the supreme version of this music. Somehow, the legendary "fussy, unspontaneous" qualities of Legge, Schwarzkopf and Szell all cancel each other out, leaving us with unpretentious mastery and penetrating melody.

By all means, snap this up for the Arabella scenes- and keep a lookout for the missing "Welko, das Bild." Because, overall, this caliber of music-making is GONE. Enough said.

(Postscript, August 3, 2006: what I wrote, three days ago, about such music-making being GONE, is even more true now...Dame Elisabeth passed away today. "Die Zeit, die ist ein sondebar Ding.")

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