Customer Reviews

Lebendige Vergangenheit: Emmi Leisner

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The entry for Emmi Leisner in Grove's opera dictionary is not flattering. The author praised her instrument ("sumptuous") but called her style "unreliable" and her interpretations "uninteresting." The article then quoted a critic who said that she gave the audience "a few noble notes but little else to remember her by." I don't know how style can be "unreliable." That word usually describes faulty technique. Be that as it may, I compared Leisner's German rendition of Gluck's "Che faro" from Orfeo with Maureen Forrester's. I admit to preferring Forrester, for I like hearing arias sung in the original language. Nevertheless, I'm not ready to sneer at Leisner. I then compared Leisner's "Einsam wachend..." with that of Regina Resnik. Resnik is a consummate artist and Solti an unexceptionable opera conductor, but someone decided to make this recording of "Einsam wachend" too soft. Brangene sings it from a distance, but it should still be loud enough to hear. When Leisner sings "Ich liebe dich nicht mehr" ("Je ne t'aime plus") with Helge Rosvaenge in the final duet from Bizet's Carmen, she sounds altogether convincing. Her interpretations may lack individuality and originality, but in the recreative arts that's not necessarily bad. Forcing--or foisting--these qualities onto a performance is bad taste more often than not. Besides, they are inevitable to some degree. No two people have the same understanding of a piece of music.

So why buy the CD? Because you won't be able to listen to "Dank sei Dir, Herr" with dry eyes. Maybe these were the "few noble notes" that Leisner's unfavorable critic had in mind. I first heard this on an LP at a school library 30+ years ago and thought it was awesome--in the OLD sense of the word. I couldn't get enough of it--that's now forgettable Leisner was! Her legato absolutely melts, and her whole interpretation exudes warmth and repose. She recorded it in 1928, that is, during the tottering Weimar Republic. It would not surprise me if this gave Germans the same reassurance that our Depression era countrymen found in Kate Smith's "God Bless America." Perhaps this song had personal significance for Leisner, too. It is the most satisfying track on this CD and was the reason I bought it.

Also satisfying are Brahms' "Wie bist du, meine Koenigin" and Strauss' "Wiegenlied" both with orchestral accompaniment. They were recorded in 1933 when technology was far more advanced. Here, too, Leisner sings with a lovely legato and great warmth.

Emmi Leisner had a long, international career. She did not retire until she was 62. People had ample opportunity to hear her recordings and decide for themselves if the carping critics were right. Leisner probably did what artists usually do when the only critic they please is the paying public: they cry all the way to the bank. As far as I'm concerned, "Dank sei dir, Herr" makes this CD worth every dime. If our economic woes don't abate soon, we may also need to turn to it for comfort.