Customer Reviews

Anne Sofie von Otter ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été / Berlin Phil., Levine

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3 star:		(1)
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I've loved "Nuits d'Été" since childhood, and this is a sublime performance of it. The peace and beauty of Von Otter's voice has few equals...it's an ethereal take on these exquisite songs...the soaring lament "Sur les Lagunes" is breathtaking.

The lesser known pieces for voice and piano (played by Cord Garben) are a joy...and the CD concludes with "Strophes" from "Roméo et Juliette", making this offering from the amazing Von Otter perfection from start to finish.

James Levine masterfully conducts the Berlin Philharmonic, the booklet insert contains the poems in French and English ( "Les Nuits d'Été" are poems by Théophile Gautier), and total running time is 63:03.

For those only familiar with the "Symphonie Fantastique" kind of Berlioz, treat yourself to his gentle, and by comparison, rarely heard side...these heavenly pieces will delight your ears and your soul, and this inspired performance is hard to beat.

For many years I have believed that Regine Crespin's recording of Berlioz "Les Nuits D'ete" was the definitive interpretation. The fact that French is her native language added to that belief. Then along comes this sensual, beautifully rendered and re-thought performance by the impeccable Anne Sofie von Otter and the crown passes to a new head. The beauty of tone, the perfection of pitch, and the quality of mystery (especially in 'Le Spectre de la Rose') is wondrous. And as if this song cycle alone weren't enough for the price of the CD, she adds Berlioz melodies and the 'Strophes' from his "Romeo and Juliette". Sheer vocal luxury. The collaborations with Levine and Berin Philaharmonic as well as the piano of Cord Garben are first rate. Even if you have a favorite artist for these endlessly beautiful songs, listen to this wonder!

It is a wonderful Berlioz disc from Anne Sofie von Otter, a delight for conoisseurs and a great introduction for those who do not know this glorious music (also for those, who are not under von Otter's spell yet). Enchantment garanteed!

I must admite that I had not heard these songs before. However, just hearing the first notes and I was completely absorbed. The sensual, ethereal and beautiful voice of Von Otters voice goes perfectly well with the quality and mood of these beautiful songs. I was really surprised with the beauty and tranquility of these songs. This is another side of Berlioz I had not expected.

I really recommend this record to you. Just hear it once and you'll love it!

Most listeners will buy this CD for the exceptinally fine Les Nuits d'Ete from 1988, which finds von Otter in glorious voice, acoompanied with passion by the ravishing Berlin Phil. under Levine--it easily rises to the level of the classic Baker/Barbirolli reading that has been my favorite for thrity years. But the five melodies, which are lifted from a 1991 collection that featured three other singers beside von Otter, are just as lovely in a minor way. The standout is La Captive, with its haunting melody and cello acocmpaniment. Von Otter's rendition of the mezzo aria from Romeo and Juliet (1988) keeps the standard of artistry just as high. In all, this 63 min. disc is probably the best Berlioz vocal recital every made.

This disc introduced me to the beautiful "Nuits d'ete". At first, I found the music fairly difficult but I listened to Otter's rendition repeatedly and the music grew on me. It's a great song cycle and a truly unique piece of music. I'm always interested in hearing different renditions of the same piece -- especially vocal music -- and I read that Regine Crespin's version was an old favorite so I ordered it from amazon. No comparison. Crespin is hands-down better than the Otter recording.

Why? Otter has a lovely voice but she is an erratic musician. Musically complex phrases -- of which there are many in "Nuits d'ete" -- seem to confuse her (this is even more true in Otter's recording of Sibelius songs) and the interpretation of course suffers as a result. In comparison, Crespin is highly musical and always succeeds in making the songs into highly fluent, meaningful strands of melody. Her voice is excellent as well. So buy the Crespin instead. (I also prefer Ansermet's conducting in the older recording.)

One reason to get this Otter disc is the version of "La captive", a song for voice, cello and piano, which is an unusual find and I think a very lovely work.

'Anne Sofie Von Otter sings Berlioz' including 'Les Nuits D'Ete' and various other 'Melodies' is a CD I bought when I was a 'get everything by Von Otter phase, as she was the first of the modern Mezzos for whom I developed an interest, soon after I discovered that classical female vocals were a really good thing. As I am not a big Berlioz fan, I was surprised at how familiar so many of these songs sounded. This is probably since most were written post Shubert and so many of them sound so much like they were influenced by Shubert's style, especially his famous 'Ave Maria'.

But, this is not the reason you want this album. Unlike Von Otter's collections of Grieg songs, I find these really engaging. You WANT to listen to these songs over and over again, much like you want to hear your mother's lullaby over and over, when you can't fall asleep.

To the not-Otter fan, I also recommend the fact that unlike a collection of straight Chansoms, there is a very nice variety in the background instrumentals, which includes Maistro Levine and the Berlin Philharmoniker, a solo chello, a Stockholm opera chorus, and back to Levine. The notes are nice, but I miss a rationale for why the very talented Ms. Otter wanted to record these particluar works.