The Complete Aksel Schiøtz Recordings, Vol. 1: Oratorio & Mozart Arias 1940-1945

Aksel Schiøtz (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 14, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Danacord Records
• ASIN: B000003LON
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #408,266 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable performances of Handel and Mozart., October 21, 2001

By 

Miles D. Moore (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Aksel Schiøtz Recordings, Vol. 1: Oratorio & Mozart Arias 1940-1945 (Audio CD)

I first heard recordings by the Danish tenor Aksel Schiotz in the 1970s, not long after he died. The particular recordings were "Comfort Ye" and "Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted" from "The Messiah." Since then, every other tenor singing those pieces has sounded terminally asthmatic to me. None has had Schiotz's bell-like high notes or remarkable fluency and breath control. This CD has those "Messiah" cuts, as well as beautiful performances of Mozart, Bach, and Dowland. Schiotz, who lived from 1906 to 1975, did not have a particularly powerful or colorful voice, but he more than made up for that with the purity and warmth of his tone. Unfortunately, Schiotz had a blighted life. Just as he was set to begin his international career, the Nazis invaded his native land. He became a hero of the Danish Resistance, but in 1946, while singing in London to great acclaim, he suffered a tumor of the acoustic nerve. He nearly died, and was robbed of the ability to either speak or sing. A horrendous two-year struggle finally brought him back to the concert hall--this time as a baritone--but his voice had lost its unique beauty. It is the recordings from 1938-46 that will remain his legacy, and the recordings on this CD are his finest.