Customer Reviews

Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Great Recordings of the Century)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this CD about four years ago, and I had to sell it to pay off a debt. I listened to it some before I sold it, but then relistened to it later on record at a university I attended as a music student. The amazing performances of Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf are not to be missed. Neither is the superb, expressive conducting of George Szell.

The CD is amazing. Fischer-Dieskau's rendition of "Revelge" is most impressive and leaves a powerful impression on the listener. He sings mournfully at times, and he also sings with ferocity and cynicism at times as well, his voice with its rich, golden tone. The orchestra plays with razor-sharp edges and precision for a most chilling effect. One can almost see the battlefield and the fallen soldiers.

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf also delivers wonderfully. She sings with great expression, tenderness, mourning, and power. The "Mutter, Ach, Mutter" is very chilling. Schwarzkopf does an excellent job changing her tonal qualities to match the voices of the comforting mother and starving child.

I really enjoy the piece where Fischer-Dieskau and Schwarzkopf have a discourse about a woman's silly, mindless, flirtatious advances towards an ambivalent, annoyed young man. The drama they bring to the piece is very effective and convincing.

Overall, I highly recommend this CD, and I must respectfully disagree with the other Paul who said that this music is not interpreted correctly. "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" may have children as its subject matter and content, but this is MAHLER! He was a man of extreme sensitivity, neurotic tensions, megalomania, insecurity, probing insights, and philosophical ponderings. Mahler may have written music about children, but he didn't write music that should be performed for children in a child-like manner. Mahler is a bit rough around the edges at times, and this music communicates his extreme moods and contrasts very well. I highly recommend this CD. George Szell and the orchestra provide outstanding accompaniments.

George Szell has been underrated as a splendid Mahler interpreter, but this magnificient recording as well as those of the 4th and 6th symphonies with the Cleveland Orchestra demonstrate how well he understood the composer's music. He was a devout champion, offering passionate, dramatic performances of Mahler's scores without being too bombastic. Here he elicits graceful, lyrical, often passionate, playing from the London Symphony Orchestra, without overshadowing the vocal talents of the soloists. Both Fischer-Dieskau and Schwartzkopf are absolutely splendid in their singing, even if they tend occasionally to being a bit too melodramatic. Still I find both to be emotionally stirring, even when their singing may be a bit too intense. It's no wonder that this is still regarded as the definitive version of Mahler's song cycle in the Penguin Guide to Classical Music. EMI's latest reissue is yet another sonic wonder in its great recording series, taking advantage of the latest in studio recording technology.

You recall the fine old recordings with Erich Kunz, that phenomenal bass-baritone, of German university songs? These are not those. Mahler certainly did not have in mind a sentimental re-visit of these tunes. These are not analogous to Britten's English folk songs. You could say these are a hybridization by Mahler of a genre of folk music, his vision of them. As one reviewer complains of the exaggeration of the singers - well, understand Mahler. I'll grant you there are moments when demands are made of Fisher-Dieskau to match the melodic range of Madame Schwarzkopf. Don't blame that on Fidi! Blame it on Mahler and his demands on vocalists. For that matter, who could have recorded it better? Can anyone remember a baritone with Fidi's range? It's only too bad that Szell is not conducting his Cleveland Orchestra in this recording. True, the London Symphony was a fine pick-up orchestra. They did more than all right. But the focus was on the soloists, with Szell as an inimicable compatriot. Anyhow, have you heard any better recording lately of this work?

This recording was known to set the standard for these songs ever since it came out. However, I heard the Abbado version before this one, which won a Grammy. Both sets are complimentary as the Abbado uses one voice per song where here you can hear the soloists interact. Both female soloists overdo the humour at first, sounding mannered and effortful but they quickly settle in and provide eloquent readings. Von Otter has the better voice, but Schwarzkopf varies her voice much more. Fischer Dieskau is more daring then Quasthoff, attempting a more aggressive tone in the military songs. This disc is more stingy though; no Urlicht is included. Overall the Szell is more rough and earthy whereas Abbado is more refined. Take your pick but why not get them both?

To be honest, I bought this CD because I love all of Mahler's works and because I got it cheap.

Lucky me--turned out it was a classic performance by Schwarzkopf and Fischer-Diskau, and Szell and the London Symphony.

I thought I was just getting a bargain, but I can't imagine anyone doing a better version of Wunderhorn.

This was an unexpected bargain.

This CD finds the composer, conductor and both artists in inspirational forms. This awesome song cycle enables both singers to demonstrate their art. If you are not acquainted yet with Fischer Dieskau's lied performances you can start here as in this period he was at his very peak. Fischer Dieskau is the most important lied singer of all times and he is well matched by Elizabeth Schwartskopf, another lied expert. Szell is also at his very best and this performance easily surpasses all competitors.

I am not a fan of fischer-dieskau's blustery singing here, with a total absence of heroism, satire, or lyricism. I adore Schwwarzkopf but she is a city girl and these are rustic songs, not the kind a sophisticate can perform without sounding arch and affected. So I can't learn to love this recording, and the splendid Abbado version with von Otter and Quasthoff leaves it in the dust vocally.

Here the two singers are slightly over the top but they are moderated by Szell's conducting. Szell is under-rated in Mahler, his 6th surpasses the moderns (pace MTT).

But Fischer-Diskau and Schwarzkopf display a mastery of these songs and with their mighty egos show the haunting nature of the original words in their world of peasants and death and Mahler's association with his and our own time of loss and dred.

"Great Recordings of the Century" is hype that rarely lives up to the

billing. But in this case it's an understatement. Want to know what

made Mahler great? Want to hear why Fischer Dieskau & Schwarzkopf are

so highly regarded? Listen. Every track is like a mini-drama that

lures you into a mysterious place, involves you in a deeply felt story

and then chills you with the realization that you're looking in a mirror

and seeing yourself. This really IS one of the great recordings of all time.

I am a devotee of George Szell, but I can barely tolerate this recording. It is ironic indeed that the many critics of Szell find much to like here.

Szell made this recording in 1968. By then Elizabeth Schwarzkoph was well past her prime (I admit I prefer young voices). She compensated for vocal decline by turning arch and coy, and she was never worse than in this recording. Fischer Dieskau was also best when young. Then he paid attention to the vocal line. But soon he began to overemphasize each of the words.

Why Szell put up with this misbehavior I do not know. His conducting is superb, but one misses the Cleveland Orchestra.

My favorite recording of this work is the relatively unknown version conducted by Felix Prohaska, with Maureen Forrester and Heinz Rehfuss.