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Richard Strauss Four Last Songs

Del monaco said:
I've grown up with these recordings. Norman is opulent but I find the orchestral accompaniment fairly pedestrian.Schwarzkopf is an all time classic but I find her too cool and mannered, though I love Szell in anything. The Janowitz just seems so right. Her voice blends so naturally and beautifully folding into the orchestra and her interpretation is heartfelt and unfussy. The conductor and singer appear perfectly in sync.
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The earlier Schwarzkopf recording is much less mannered and her voice fresher and fuller.
 
Tony L said:
That one on vinyl here. She nailed it IMO, I can't imagine needing any other version.
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I have this issued by the World Record Club (New Zealand pressing) played it for years. One day in my never ending search of 2nd hand vinyl I came across a British EMI labelled pressing. Joy! thought I, but I was to be disappointed it was not a patch on the sound quality of the WRC pressing, even though the EMI looked pristine, and was heavier, with no surface noise. The WRC LPs pressed in NZ came with a poor reputation but comparing a few other recordings at the time they sounded excellent as well. Perhaps the WRC were a lot closer to the original masters than we in NZ thought.

Errol
 
Well, I was a bit disappointed by the LPO/Isokoski. I could hardly hear her above the orchestra in the first song. Maybe she has lost some of her power, or maybe the LPO under Jurowski just played too loud. I have always wondered about the balance in these songs between a huge orchestra (the LPO brought out a monster last night with 8 double basses, 4 flutes etc.) and a single soloist, and on this occasion the balance felt wrong at least from where I was sitting (about 9 rows away from the stage, well to the right). Perhaps the acoustics of the RFH didn't help. Isokoski sang with a lot of emotion, and the 3d and 4th songs in particular were beautiful as Jurowski managed to keep the orchestra quiet enough so we could hear her.

The other weird thing about the program was that all the other pieces (2 Mozart serenades, very charming) and the modern piece of the evening (Magnus Lindberg's Gran Duo, very good and well done by the LPO wind players) were all for small chamber ensembles. So I don't even get the economics of getting the LPO out in full strength for 4 short Strauss songs just for them to rather overwhelm the singer for 15'.
 
The economics are obvious and controlling. The huge orchestra needs to play, and get paid. Indeed, they doubtless have a contract that says how many times a year they will do so.

But the balance issue you bring up is very real. Fixable in the mix for a recording, but for the live audience, can be a tougher problem. I assume the singer's voice was not amplified?
 
No, not amplified. Perish the thought. The symphonic concert hall is the last place where one can hear large scale non-amplified music, and I hope it stays that way.
 
PsB said:
Well, I was a bit disappointed by the LPO/Isokoski. I could hardly hear her above the orchestra in the first song. Maybe she has lost some of her power, or maybe the LPO under Jurowski just played too loud. I have always wondered about the balance in these songs between a huge orchestra (the LPO brought out a monster last night with 8 double basses, 4 flutes etc.) and a single soloist, and on this occasion the balance felt wrong at least from where I was sitting (about 9 rows away from the stage, well to the right). Perhaps the acoustics of the RFH didn't help. Isokoski sang with a lot of emotion, and the 3d and 4th songs in particular were beautiful as Jurowski managed to keep the orchestra quiet enough so we could hear her.

The other weird thing about the program was that all the other pieces (2 Mozart serenades, very charming) and the modern piece of the evening (Magnus Lindberg's Gran Duo, very good and well done by the LPO wind players) were all for small chamber ensembles. So I don't even get the economics of getting the LPO out in full strength for 4 short Strauss songs just for them to rather overwhelm the singer for 15'.
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Now that should simply not have happened, even if there was an acoustic aberration in your part of the hall. Jarowski conducts there regularly does he not? Some singers do hold their voice back on occasion- if they are having voice problems witha long performance ahead of them. I've heard it happen but only rarely.
 
Some years ago, I saw Jurowski and the LPO doing Korngokd's opera Das Wunder Der Heliane at the RFH. The singers were lined up behind the huge orchestra, and I felt like quoting Terry Jones in Monty Python's Life of Brian, when he couldn't hear the Semon on the Mount. I couldn't hear a bloody word.

The only time I've been lucky enough to hear the Four Last Songs live was with Jane Eaglen with the Liverpool Phil. I could hear everything, and Jane Eaglen was (a bit to my surprise) very good indeed.
 
I have a copy of the above with Kiri Te Kanawa. I was young. I was poor. I was just finding my way in the world of classical music.

What does the panel think would be the definitive version on CD that I should be listening to?
 
I've merged the two threads as it makes it easier to navigate.

PS Since the original thread I found a copy of the Norman, so I have that and the Schwarzkopf. Both are excellent in their own way.
 
That cool, restrained and understated nature is probably the thing I really like about the Schwarzkopf record. There is no hint of what I think of as 'over-singing' which can spoil a lot of classical vocal and opera for me (and certainly ruins any 'diva' pop stuff).
 
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