Customer Reviews

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Unpublished Recordings

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The notes to this, the third album that Testament has issued of Schwarzkopf's unpublished recordings, urge us to listen as if to a complete recital. The program has been set up to move in progression from Schubert through Brahms and Schumann to Wolf and Strauss, followed by five encores. Because the selections date from 1955 to 1964, one can imagine that it is the same singer throughout, and in fact with such clear recordings and the same accompanist throughout(Gerald Moore, except for a single appearance by Walter Gieseking), it really is the same singer.

On another point I'm not so sure. We are told that there is hardly any evidence for why EMI didn't issue these 25 recordings, given their high quality. But for me, Schwarzkopf isn't always "on" and neither is Moore. There are a trifling number of technical flaws, all minor. Yet it wasn't until the fourth Schubert song, Der Jungling an der Quelle, that I felt completely involved. From that moment on, I felt pulled in to varying degrees, and perhaps it's my imagination at work. For anyone who is hesitating, I can offer assurances that these aren't cast-offs. Still, nothing here is a new item, and if you want the very best rendition of any given song, EMI's catalog is the place to look.

As a devoted admirer of Schwarzkopf, I was intrigued to learn a few new facts. She only recorded 43 songs by Schubert out of more than 600 -- she added more in recital -- and she refused to sing the great song cycles. In both cases she felt that only the songs for female voice were right for her (but being an artist, she broke her rule whenever she felt like it, Der Jungling an der Quelle being a good example). Also, she thoroughly disliked the poetry of Schumann's Frauenliebe und Leben and consented to record it only very late, in the Seventies, largely to fill a gap in her discography.

It was moving to hear this great singer again, and even the small differences from her published recordings gave a hint of meeting her on new ground.

ES is my favorite soprano. I have to admit, some of these recordings are a bit 2nd string. Because they weren't meant to be heard by the public. But they are far more beautiful than any flawless modern recordings. Schwarzkopf is my soprano of the century. And this selection of songs shows her true brilliance and range. Just a lovely, touching, superb collection everyone should own. A true testament to her talent and personal beauty as an artist.