Customer Reviews

Richard Strauss: Songs

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Felicity Lott, who makes no bones about being over fifty in the cover photograph, has built a good deal of her career around both Richard Strauss and lieder. When she made her classic accounts of Strauss's orchestral songs with Neeme Jarvi fifteen years ago, her full, warm soprano was at its peak, so much so that she rivalled Schwarzkopf and Della Casa for sheer beauty. Luxurious sound rather than pointed interpretation was Lott's forte, so how does she fare now that her voice is mature?

The Amazon reviewer raves to excess--the voice is in fine shape but doesn't possess the purity and contorl it once had. That's only natural and not a flaw. Her mature readings of these 16 songs are artistic and mostly satisfying. Unlike Schwarzkopf, Lott doesn't have enough charisma to make the deepest impression. I'd also point out that the singer's close friend Graham Johnson is a routine accompanist, careful in detail but not inspiring (British critics continue to extol him for reasons I can't fathom). Whether because of him or on her own, Lott is too placid at times and hasn't the voice left to soar to the heights, which is ultimately what a great Strauss voice must do. Even so, this is a lovely recital and a boon to anyone who loves these gorgeous, sensual songs.

P.S. 2011 -- I heard Lott and Johnson at Wigmore Hall and was impressed by the beauty of her voice and the wisdom in her interpretations. the microphone diminishes a remarkable singer.