Great Recordings Of The Century - Janet Baker Sings Mahler: kindertotenlieder / 5 Ruckertlieder / Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen [Original recording remastered]

Gustav Mahler (Composer), John Barbirolli (Conductor), Hallé Orchestra (Orchestra), New Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra), Janet Baker (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Janet Baker
• Orchestra: Hallé Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra
• Conductor: John Barbirolli
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (May 4, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00000IOBY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,057 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One-of-a-kind performance, August 9, 2000

By 

Ahmed E. Ismail (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Recordings Of The Century - Janet Baker Sings Mahler: kindertotenlieder / 5 Ruckertlieder / Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen (Audio CD)

It has been noted that everything Dame Janet Baker recorded is well worth hearing, and perhaps that is most true when she worked with Sir John Barbirolli. They did not record many works together (these, Elgar's "Sea Pictures" and "Dream," and Berlioz's "Les Nuits d'Eté" about cover it), but every one holds a special place in the discography.

Mahler's song cycles may have been written for a man's voice (such as Thomas Hampson or Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau). However, listening to these performances, you'd never miss the difference. Baker and Barbirolli capture the atmosphere of each song perfectly, with especially lovely performances of the Rückert Lieder--the ending of "Um Mitternacht" is awe-inspiring. Then the Kindertotenlieder come along, and the raw emotion in both orchestra and voice alternately shock and soothe the listener.

Anyone who wants an introduction to Mahler's song cycles need not hesitate over this disc.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Mahler performance with lots of heart, August 10, 2000

By 

Paul Carr (Silver Spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Great Recordings Of The Century - Janet Baker Sings Mahler: kindertotenlieder / 5 Ruckertlieder / Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen (Audio CD)

I'd normally be pretty skeptical of anything titled "Great Recordings of the 20th Century," but EMI's nailed it with this one. We have here the superb musicianship and beautiful voice of Janet Baker with sympathetic support by Barbirolli. The Kindertotenlieder is particularly affecting. Robert Fripp has called this the "music of God's tears," and Miss Baker convinces me that this is an apt description. Highly recommended.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What else can I say?, March 3, 2004

By 

altoman "altoman" (Springfield, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Recordings Of The Century - Janet Baker Sings Mahler: kindertotenlieder / 5 Ruckertlieder / Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen (Audio CD)

This is truly an incredible cd. Dame Janet Baker was a great artist, who some reviewers said was a singing actress on the level of Callas, but without the ugly top notes. When she undertook a role or a song, she completely invested herself in it. Her retirement was, for me, a very sad day.

In the Kindertotenlieder, she is a bereft mother, crushed by the loss of her children. While each song is heartbreaking in its own way, she still manages to reach even deeper in the final song, "In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus" in which the mother, driven mad by her loss, laments that her (dead) children should not be out in the storm raging outside.

In the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, she is a completely different character, a lonely wanderer, encompassing a wide range of emotions. Most striking to me was the distraught "Ich hab' ein gluhend' Messer", where, even if you don't know German or have the translation in front of you, you know that this is a person in pain.

To me, however, the greatest triumph on this cd is the Five Ruckert Lieder, in which Dame Janet goes from strength to strength. "Um Mitternacht" is absolutely soul-stirringly magnificent, but the crown jewel is "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen", which is incredibly moving. It is otherworldly in a way that only one who has forsworn the world could know.

If you don't know the artistry of the great Dame Janet Baker, there are few better places to start. Be warned, however, that this is not music to be played when you are depressed!