Kathleen Ferrier - Mahler ~ Kindertotenlieder & Gluck ~ Greene ~ Handel ~ Mendelssohn ~ Purcell / Baillie, Moore, B. Walter [Original recording remastered]

Henry Purcell (Composer), Christoph Willibald Gluck (Composer), Maurice Greene (Composer), Felix [1] Mendelssohn (Composer), Gustav Mahler (Composer), Charles Bruck (Conductor), Bruno Walter (Conductor), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Performer), Salzburg Vienna Philharmoniker (Performer), Netherlands Opera Chorus & Orchestra (Orchestra), Gerald Moore (Performer), Isobel Baillie (Performer), Felix Mendelssohn (Artist), Kathleen Ferrier (Artist), Bruno Walter (Artist), Vienna Philharmonic (Artist), Isobel Baillie (Artist)

Product Details

• Performer: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Salzburg Vienna Philharmoniker, Gerald Moore, Isobel Baillie
• Orchestra: Netherlands Opera Chorus & Orchestra
• Conductor: Charles Bruck, Bruno Walter
• Composer: Henry Purcell, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Maurice Greene, Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (March 9, 1999)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00000I7W5
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #89,033 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #26 in	Music > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Odes
  #81 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( G ) > Gluck, Christoph W.

• This item is part of The Great Recordings of the Century Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Even before her tragic death at 41 (in 1953), Kathleen Ferrier became a legend for her incomparable voice, her simplicity and sincerity of expression, and her indomitable courage. This compilation of recordings originally made in the 1940s includes four arias from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice recorded live in Holland, which show why Euridice was one of her signature roles. Two beautifully sung Handel arias, two sacred songs by Maurice Greene, and delightful duets by Purcell and Mendelssohn (sung in English with another beloved English singer, Isobel Baillie) are greatly enhanced by the inimitable pianist Gerald Moore. But the core of this recording is the Mahler cycle. Here, Ferrier's voice takes on a new warmth and intensity; her deeply inward, direct expressiveness gives the bereaved parent's grief and anguish a devastating impact. Her reading of the last song could be a bit more spooky, but the end is heartbreaking in its submissive resignation. The Vienna Philharmonic and Bruno Walter are in their native element. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The incredible Kathleen Ferrier recordings!, May 19, 2003

By	Rosomax (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Voice fans, rejoice -- EMI has finally remastered these recordings and released them as one CD at budget price!
While Mahler's "Kindertotenlieder" would be the chief reason for purchasing this CD right away, it also contains several morsels, equally fascinating. Purcell and Mendelsohn's duets, Handel's arias, Greene's spirituals, and 3 live arias from Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice". In general, particularly Mahler, the sound is nothing short of phenomenal. BUT why could not these engineers do the same for "Orfeo" selections? There's a lot of noise on these. On all the selection Ferrier's exceptionally dark mezzo (or contralto with a huge upper register) shines brilliantly. Of course, Mahler's songs bemoaning the death of children are not an easy listen by any means. But the melodies are amazingly harmonious and Bruno Walter's superb orchestra provides ideal background for them, with Ferrier's voice blending gorgeously with strings. Only Mussorgsky could take a subject such as this and make it so breathtakingly captivating. It's actually frightening in by itself. Gerald Moore (well-known for his collaboration with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau) accompanies expertly on Purcell and Mendelsohn's selections.
It would be a treat to hear Ferrier in more alto repertoire; I am just not sure how many were commercially available at the time. Right now, Vivica Genaux is the leading artist in this area, but it would be fascinating to compare these two.
For the sheer vocal marvel experience, do not delay in getting this CD.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrible Beauty, November 13, 2002

By	Jay (Republic of Ireland) - See all my reviews

Nothing will change my opinion that Mahler should be approached with caution. Like Wagner, the scale and power of his work means that it is simply not for everyone, but inspite of that, this recording is an indespensible part of any serious music lover's collection. Music like this simply is not made any more, but rather this is a glimpse into a past where artists and not accountants ran the music industry.

Mahler's wife Alma bitterly opposed his setting of Ruckert's Kindertotenlieder to music and considering the death of their daughter soon after, it's doubtful if she ever forgave him for it. But the finished work has an indescribable beauty that Kathleen Ferrier and Mahler's protégé Bruno Walter give full expression to in away that no other interpreter's have even approached. More than 50 years on this is both a lasting tribute to the artists involved and an indictment of the decline in standards since.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What is to say - It's Ferrier..., March 31, 2002

By	Ytzan "Yannis" (Athens, GR) - See all my reviews

I bought the CD for the Kindertotenlieder and that's what I am going to write about (though the rest of the program is equally impressive). Ferrier's Mahler interpretations are always in the 5+ star area. When Walter is accompanying her the results are even better (unlike the case of Klemperer). The first song - Nun Will Die Sonn'... the darkness of the music is so prominent, it's breathtaking. All the rest Kindertotenlieder come in the same fashion. If interested in a release with better sound but not these Olympian contritutors, Janet Baker and Christa Ludwig have made some very good discs