Jessye Norman (Great Opera Divas) [Import]

1. Dem Unendlichen

2. Der Winterabend

3. Auflosung

4. Wesendock Lieder

5. Tristan Und Isolde Mild Und Leise

6. Tannhauser Dich Teure Halle Grub Ich Wieder

7. Der Fliegende Hollander Johoehoe Traft Ihr

8. Ein Deutsches Requiem Ihr Habt Nun Traurigkeit

9. Romeo Et Juliette Premiers Transports Que Nul N'oublie

10. Chanson De Rouet

11. Si Mome

12. Tu Vois Le Feu Du Soir

13. Fraicheur Et Le Feu Nos 1-7

14. Belle Nuit O Nuit D'amour Venus Dit A Fortune

Jessye Norman (Great Opera Divas),Hector Berlioz,Johannes Brahms,Jacques Offenbach,Francis Poulenc,Maurice Ravel,Franz Schubert,Richard Wagner,Klaus Tennstedt,Riccardo Muti,Sylvain Cambreling,London Philharmonic Orchestra,Philadelphia Orchestra,Dalton Baldwin,Irwin Gage,Jessye Norman,Great Opera Divas,20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard,Choral,French Romantic Opera,German/Austrian Romantic Opera,Miscellaneous Music,Opera,Rap,Requiem/Requiem Section,Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard,Secular Music for More One Soloist, Chorus and Instr,Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra,Vocal

Average customer rating: The Best Beethoven Symphonies Recording I've Ever Heard Solti's Beethoven is mainly for his fans. big shouldered beethoven from the city of big shoulders... Solti's Great Beethoven- an essential! The benchmark recordings for the Beethoven nine !

Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Solti, Sir Georg | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Vocal Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos Beethoven: Nine Symphonies Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas & Concertos Beethoven: The Piano Concertos Mozart: 46 Symphonies - Berlin Philharmonic / Karl Böhm ASIN: B0000041XV Release Date: 1990-09-11

Tracks:

1. Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21: I Adagio molto - Allegro con Brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
2. Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21: II Andante cantabile con moto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
3. Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21: III Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven
4. Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21: IV Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven
5. Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: I Adagio molto - Allegro con brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
6. Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: II Larghetto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
7. Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: III Scherzo: Allegro - Ludwig Van Beethoven
8. Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: V Allegro molto - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Tracks:

1. Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 'Eroica': I Allegro con brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
2. Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 'Eroica': II Marcia funebre: Adagio assai - Ludwig Van Beethoven
3. Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 'Eroica': III Scherzo: Allegro vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven
4. Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 'Eroica': IV Finale: Allegro molto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
5. Overture 'Egmont', op. 84 - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Tracks:

1. Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: I Allegro con brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
2. Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: II Andante con moto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
3. Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: III Allegro - Ludwig Van Beethoven
4. Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: IV Allegro - Ludwig Van Beethoven
5. Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60: I Adagio - Allegro vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven
6. Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60: II Adagio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
7. Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60: III Allegro vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven
8. Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60: IV Allegro ma non troppo - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Tracks:

1. Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastoral': I Allegro ma non troppo - Awakening Of Cheerful Feelings Upon Arrival In The Country - Ludwig Van Beethoven
2. Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastoral': II Andante molto mosso - By The Brook - Ludwig Van Beethoven
3. Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastoral': III Allegro - Peasants' Merrymaking - Ludwig Van Beethoven
4. Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastoral': IV Allegro - Thunderstorm - Ludwig Van Beethoven
5. Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastoral': V Allegretto - Shepherd's Song. Happy And Thankful Feelings After The Storm - Ludwig Van Beethoven
6. Overture 'Leonore' No. 3, Op. 72a - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Tracks:

1. Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: I Poco sostenuto - Vivace - L.V. Beethoven
2. Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: II Allegretto - L.V. Beethoven
3. Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: III Presto - L.V. Beethoven
4. Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: IV Allegro con brio - L.V. Beethoven
5. Symphony No. 8 In F Major, Op. 93: I Allegro vivace e con brio - L.V. Beethoven
6. Symphony No. 8 In F Major, Op. 93: II Allegretto scherzando - L.V. Beethoven
7. Symphony No. 8 In F Major, Op. 93: III Tempo di menuetto - L.V. Beethoven
8. Symphony No. 8 In F Major, Op. 93: IV Allegro vivace - L.V. Beethoven

Tracks:

1. Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125: I Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso - L.V. Beethoven
2. Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125: II Molto vivace - L.V. Beethoven
3. Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125: III Adagio molto e cantabile - L.V. Beethoven
4. Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125: IV Presto - Allegro assai - Andante maestoso - Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato - L.V. Beethoven

Customer Reviews:

The Best Beethoven Symphonies Recording I've Ever Heard.......2007-06-20

This is absolutely a gorgeous recording. It is uplifting and some of the softer sections of the 9th Symphony are so beautiful it brings tears to your eyes.

The Karajan Beethoven Symphonies of 1963 which many rave over is a casualty of not transferring from analog to digital well. Though Karajan's interpretation is wonderful, it is overpowering to the point of speaker overload in the stronger parts and too weak in the softer parts which is typical of old live analog orchestra recordings transferring to digital.

I think Sir Georg was the last of the conductors of his time and style, which is very sad. There will never be a kind like him or Karajan again.

Solti's Beethoven is mainly for his fans........2007-04-22

Although there are some great moments in Sir Georg Solti's last Beethoven Symphony cycle, recorded 1986-89, there are generally better recordings available.

First of all, Sir Georg's tempos in Symphony I: IV and Symphony 2: IV are break-neck, and almost reckless, so much so the Chicago players have trouble staying together!

The recording job throughout is acceptable, but the orchestra does not sound that realistic or immediate, and Decca's usually rich bass and midrange don't come through as in many other Solti recordings. The record level is low, and one has to boost the volume quite alot to get any sense of presence.

I don't think as highly of this set as some listeners might, as I have other recordings of Beethoven I turn to more often: Karl Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic (DG, rec. 1970-72) especially for Symphonies 2,3,4,5,6, and 8; Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic (DG, rec. 1977-9); Szell/Cleveland (Sony Essential classics, rec. 1959-68) for Symphonies 1,3,4,and 9;
Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic (DG, either the 1961-2 or 1975-77 cycle, both available as complete sets); Bruno Walter/Columbia Symphony (Sony: Symphonies 2,3,4,6, and 8); Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra (Sony: Symphonies 5,6 and 8 - may be hard to find in April, 2007) or even Solti/Chicago Symphony in an earlier analog cycle (London, rec. 1972-74) which has sound with better presence: more defined bass, than this recording. Those who are Chicago Symphony fans and MUST have one of their recordings could seek out any of the Fritz Reiner/Chicago Beethovens: Symphonies 1,3,5,6,7 and 9 are still available (RCA).

In light of the competition, I'd pass on this one.

If you like Solti/Chicago, consider their recordings of the Brahms Symphonies (London, 4 CD set). And for SOLTI fans, he recorded the Beethoven Symphonies 3, 5 and 7 with the Vienna Philharmonic (Decca, 1958), a recording I have not heard, but have read is very good, better than either of Solti's Chicago Beethoven Symphony recordings.

big shouldered beethoven from the city of big shoulders..........2006-08-06

This is a broad, powerful, heavy-duty Beethoven symphony cycle, free of idiosyncracy, that can stand as a benchmark to measure against more unconventional interpretations, a kind of golden mean of Beethoven. Decca's spacious sonics foregrounds Solti's attention to orchestral detail; all the sections, particularly the low strings and the winds can be heard to beautiful effect. Solti's tempos are expansive, and as befits a great opera conductor,incident rules over architecture. The decade from the late '80's to the late '90's was a stellar period for Beethoven symphony cycles. The four best, each completely at odds with the other, are Gardiner (period performance practice, Beethoven as French revolutionary, martial, manic, zealous); Barenboim (Wagnerian, deep orchestral colors, expressive tempos); Harnoncourt (raw,fusing Barenboim's personal expressiveness and Gardiner's small forces and fast tempos --Beethoven as untamed avant gardist, somewhere between Bach and Schoenberg); and this set, where Solti utilizes a Wagnerian orchestra with strong on-the-beat phrasing (Toscanini to Barenboim's Furtwangler). This conductor was the last of the old-school Middle Europeans in the field, and one of the only members of his breed to benefit from a first-rate band recorded with clarity in digital sound. (Karajan's late Beethoven cycle is to be avoided at all cost). If you like your Ludwig Van straight up, technocratic, without weirdness or surprises, then this set is for you (I mean that as a compliment...)

Solti's Great Beethoven- an essential!.......2006-05-22

Reviewers would tell you that Karajan's first Deutsche Grammophon recordings is the Beethoven cycle to own. While I believe that Karajan's string-rich virtuoso view of Beethoven's score is refreshing, a quick comparison of the score and Karajan's music shows that he often takes a very Wagnerian (rubato) view of the score. Most people believe that Wagnerian entails a brassy, loud "heavy-metal" handed interpretation of the music. This, however, is a misconception that needs to be erased. Unlike Wagner, Beethoven had metronome markings in his score that a conductor needs to interpret to music to make the music sound right. Also, the development in the symphonies' musical and emotional structure are aided by these score markings to make it easier for the conductor to bring forth the composer's message. Karajan took a Wagnerian style of conducting in the sense that he changed some of the tempi to his liking. Solti, however, follows Beethoven's score in a German Romantic tradition. This means that there is a transparency to his conducting, but not to the degree that Szell takes with his Beethoven. Every musical detail is heard, and the strings are very well accentuated too. Karajan's recording emphasized the strings too much and drowned the other instruments. I find that although his Beethoven symphonies can be rather ravishing, it does not offer a very complete vision of the music.

These Chicago recordings (recorded by possibly the greatest symphony in the world at that time, the CSO) are undoubtedly the work of a conductor who knew the intentions of Beethoven very well and respected them. I highly recommend this set for anyone who wants to listen to Beethoven as it should be performed.

The benchmark recordings for the Beethoven nine !.......2005-10-16

Some say the Karajan (1963) are better. Well it may have sounded so *inside the hall* when Karajan played it back then. But the recording is pretty awful. I own the set and am thinking of tossing them out. But then it shouldn't come as a surprise because it was recorded in ..umm..1963.. using primitive equipment.

This Decca DDD set, like all Decca DDD recordings, are just spectacular ! The sound is rich, clear and room filling with plenty of bass in the strings, something most other recordings seem to lack. I have heard many versions of the Beethoven nine, Szell, Bernstein, Karajan, Muti, Levine, Chailly and others - but this is the one that sets the benchmark.

(ps: For # 3, I prefer the Levine/Met (DG, 4D recording) version )

Average customer rating: The amazing Jessye Norman Amazing Grace Superb! As Always, superb! Uplifting and Timeless Why was I such a fool?

Amazing Grace: Jessye Norman Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Franck, César | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music Gounod, Charles | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Franck, Cesar | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Schubert, Franz | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anonymous | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Yon, Pietro | U to Z | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Spirituals in Concert Jessye Norman - Christmastide The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs Jessye Norman - Sacred Songs ~ Ave Maria, Amazing Grace, etc.. Jessye Norman Classics ASIN: B00000413L Release Date: 1991-09-12

Tracks:

1. Amazing Grace: Amazing Grace (traditional)
2. Amazing Grace: Gesu Bambino
3. Amazing Grace: Ave Maria (Op. 52 No.6)
4. Amazing Grace: Sweet Little Jesus Boy
5. Amazing Grace: Let Us Break Bread Together
6. Amazing Grace: There's a Man Going Round
7. Amazing Grace: Mary Had a Baby
8. Amazing Grace: Panis Angelicus
9. Amazing Grace: Greensleeves
10. Amazing Grace: Great Day
11. Amazing Grace: Steal Away
12. Amazing Grace: Were You There
13. Amazing Grace: Calvary
14. Amazing Grace: City Called Heaven
15. Amazing Grace: Give Me Jesus
16. Amazing Grace: O Divine Redeemer
17. Amazing Grace: He's Got the Whole World
18. Amazing Grace: Amazing Grace (traditional)

Customer Reviews:

The amazing Jessye Norman.......2007-06-18

Oh what a joy to listen to one of the richest voices of our time! A truly great singing legend. Breathtaking depth and effortless power!

Amazing Grace.......2007-05-08

Don't Know. Holder had a CD of Ludwig con Beethoven! Awaiting the real thing.

Superb! As Always, superb!.......2003-12-27

There's not enough words that can express how wonderful Miss Jessye Norman's vocal talent is. What a wonderful opera diva! I thought the George Bizet's Carmen (CD) was magnificient but then when I got this (CD), I was thrown back. The range and style in "Ave Maria" is splendid, so is "Let's Break Bread Together," "Amazing Grace," and many more songs found on this CD. Miss Jessye Norman, Ms. Leontyne Price, Miss kathleen Battle, Miss Joan Sutherland are top opera divas on my list. So you know I have a fine taste of hearing great vocals; you can't go wrong in purchasing this CD. It's a treasure to listen to.

Uplifting and Timeless.......2003-09-08

Jessye Norman is one of my favorite opera singers. I hope that she may release another CD of Gospel songs very soon. We have waited too much!!! How about to revisit Marian Andersons' Gospel recordings!!!

Why was I such a fool?.......2003-06-17

Okay, if you look at my other recommendations, you'll see that I'm a conservative. So, before my full embrace of the classical vocal artistry, and when I was just beginning to grasp politics (I'm only 21 now), I heard a beautiful voice and rejected it because it was singing at the inauguration of Bill Clinton.

I've learned a little since then. I've learned to ignore an artists political leanings, because they don't tell you much about quality (contrast the Republican South Park creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone with the Democrat Robert Redford). I've also learned to (sometimes) listen to the recommendations of friends. And well, after a friend heard me laud Reneé Fleming, Kathleen Battle, and Leontyne Price, she told me I needed to try Jessye Norman. So I did.

Jessye Norman here offers here own takes on many of the most-loved (i.e. trite) pieces in the religio-classical tradition. She renders one of my own favorites, "O Divine Redeemer", with great beauty. When other reviewers mention shivers on the spine, I can only nod. As a wonderful introduction to Ms. Norman, the great spirituals and hymns, or repudiation of foolish artistic discrimination, I highly recommend this CD.

Average customer rating: Yes, it's as good as these other reviews say. Ethereal heights The Most Perfect Recording Like dying in ecstasy! Weiter Stiller Fried

Strauss: Four Last Songs/Songs With Orchestra Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Strauss, Richard | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Jessye Norman - Brahms: Lieder / Barenboim Strauss: Four Last Songs/12 Orchestral Songs Strauss: Four Last Songs; Wagner: Prelude & Liebestod Strauss: Four Last Songs / Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder Strauss: Four Last Songs / Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra ASIN: B0000040VV Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Four Last Songs: Fruhling (Hesse)
2. Four Last Songs: September (Hesse)
3. Four Last Songs: Beim Schlafengehen (Hesse)
4. Four Last Songs: Im Abendrot (Eichendorff)
5. Songs With Orchestra: Cacilie Op. 27-2 (Hart)
6. Songs With Orchestra: Morgen Op. 27-4 (Mackay)
7. Songs With Orchestra: Wiegenlied Op. 41-1 (Dehmel)
8. Songs With Orchestra: Ruhe, meine Seele Op. 27-1 (Henckell)
9. Songs With Orchestra: Meinem Kinde Op. 37-3 (Falke)
10. Songs With Orchestra: Zueignung Op. 10-1 (Von Gilm)

Amazon.com essential recording

Jessye Norman has what they call in the operatic business an "ample" figure. Judging from this disc, she must be completely hollow inside because she sings the Four Last Songs in what seems like a single breath, and at half the normal speeds. In fact, as sheer sound, this is the most sensual, voluptuous, totally gorgeous vocal record that I have ever heard. Play it for people who think they hate opera singing and they'll be hooked. Words really can't describe the almost decadent richness of Norman's voice, or the way it seems to swell from the speakers and saturate the room with velvety sound. --David Hurwitz

Amazon.com

Lovers of the Four Last Songs have come to take good recordings of the set for granted. Jessye Norman's early digital account with Kurt Masur and the Leipzigers is one of the best--powerful, sensuous, and very well recorded. Strauss may have conceived the songs with an ideal voice in mind, but he made a point of asking that Kirsten Flagstad give the first performance of the set. Since then, no comparably endowed soprano, in possession of both the tonal richness and the extraordinary amplitude that were Flagstad's, has recorded the Four Last Songs, save for Norman. The tessitura of the cycle is perfect for her--not too high, with almost every phrase lying in the warm, lustrous middle part of the voice--and Norman shapes the words with consummate skill and sensitivity. To hear her soar out over the orchestra, carrying the most demanding phrases with long-breathed splendor, is to enjoy, for a moment, the return of a golden age. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Yes, it's as good as these other reviews say........2007-04-01

If you're like me, you sometimes read the Penguin Guide to Classical Music for comic relief. So, years back when I noticed that this recording received "a coveted Rosette," I didn't pay much attention. However, mostly by chance, I found these Amazon reviews, and they commanded attention. Then I remembered another bootleg performance that I was given featuring Norman and Celibadache. The orchestral sound was dismal, but Norman was astounding. So, I ordered the two-disc Jessye Norman Collection that included the present performance.

It is spectacular. Other reviews have discussed her breath control, which has to be experienced to be believed. Her voice, too, was close to what Strauss originally intended for the part (it was written for Flagstadt). Three other things strike me about this performance. First, Norman points words with great skill. Hers is not just a lush and lovely voice. Second, and incredible, she can hit high notes with full volume without any strain (e.g., first song, 30 seconds in). Third, this is an immensely dramatic and spellbinding performance. Schwarzkopf's is wistful and wise; Norman's is more heroic and dramatic (though certainly introspective as well).

The other songs on this CD are also extremely rewarding, based on a similar approach. Schwarzkopf's collection is less consistently dark. Yet I admit that in a way the Norman collection here is more programmatically coherent.

So yes, search Amazon for an in-print version, and buy without trepidation. You will find that Norman's performance does not duplicate anyone else's. If you add Scwarzkopf's and Popp's, you can probably rest easy.

Ethereal heights.......2006-12-04

Richard Strauss wrote the Four Last Songs in 1948, when he was in his 80s, and a year away from his own death. His country had been devastated by the Second World War, and it was from the lofty plateau of a wiser old age that he looks back with these wonderful reflections on mortality and the rich beauty of life. I think the Four Last Songs the best thing Strauss wrote.
Many will debate their favourite recordings. There are different strengths to different performances. For me, Jessye Norman has the controlled power to make this the standout performance so far recorded. Kurt Masur's conducting is superb, and the Gewandhaus produces all the calm variation of this rich score.
The set is rounded out by other great orchestral songs by Strauss.

The Most Perfect Recording.......2006-07-13

OK so you've read all the other reviews about speed and pace etc. But if you truly want
one of the most stunning vocal recordings of all time, then look no further than this disc.Having been involved in the classical music industry for many years i've listened to
(and own) many recordings of this virtuoso piece. Many of them deserve great praise (Janowitz,Schwartzkopf & Te Kanawa to name but a few) but Norman's voice and Masur's orchestration, combined with a superlative Philips digital recording make this version unbeatable by any standards. I would highly recommend this disc to anyone wanting to "explore" classical vocal music as a beginner or even those with only a passing interest in opera. If I was Philips Classics I would offer a money back guarantee , satisfaction guaranteed !!!! Just as a footnote this recording was used in David Lynch's Wild At Heart, Just watch the opening credits and you'll be swept away the lush orchestral intro from " Im Abendrot " and who's to say its too slow?

Like dying in ecstasy!.......2006-05-20

The vocal control, the beauty of the voice, the grace, the insight, the elegance....where are the superlatives to describe this set? How she builds, with Masur, layer upon layer, wave after wave of life-stealing sorcery in these songs!

I single out Beim Schlafengehen as my favourite and as the showpiece. She seems to sigh instead of sing but how the sound fills every space and reaches every sense. It's more than just going to sleep, it seems as if you're about to do it forever...to finally get that rest from all the world's cares and hassles. Here, at last, is the most welcome executioner. She seems to justify her purpose, with empathy, from the words "Nun der Tag.." right to the point of "wollen sich in Schlummer senken." It's as if she reminds you how tired you really are....do you then want to stay awake? Prolong the suffering? Would you not now embrace her mercy?

Then that most caressing interlude, featuring the solo violin. But here comes the knife,a climatic arrival, for all its violence "Und die Seele unbewacht will in freien...". Then she opens a vein! "Flýgen schweben," the second syllable of "Flýgen" a scintillating yet wholly lovely lament....almost a sob- listen carefully for it. Then your soul begins to float free, rising on that warm current. Meanwhile, below, she begins to extol your release "...tausendfach zu leben" being that last gift to herald you into your afterlife.

You can be transposed in so many ways on this set...take the swirling invitation to life in "Frýhling." This is a phenomenon in vocal interpretation that MUST be pilgrimaged. Do yourself the favour.

Weiter Stiller Fried.......2005-12-06

"Im Abendrot" est certainement le Lied où Jessye Norman révèle toute sa force et sa profonde compréhension du message que R. Strauss nous offre. Difficile d'écouter d'autres interprétations après celle de J. Norman. Sa voix semble portée par des rayons de soleil aveuglants. Inoubliable lorsqu'elle chante (déclame?) les vers de Von Eichendorff: "O weiter, stiller Friede! So tief im Abendrot, Wie sind wir wandermüde, Ist dies etwa der Tod?"

Average customer rating: How sweet the sound! breathtaking! incredibly moving

Jessye Norman - Sacred Songs ~ Ave Maria, Amazing Grace, etc.. Jessye Norman , Charles Gounod , Franz Schubert , Cesar Franck , Stephen Adams , Anonymous , English Traditional , Christmas Traditional , Robert MacGimsey , Pietro Yon , Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Alexander Gibson , Ambrosian Singers , and Christopher Bowers-Broadbent Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Franck, César | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Similar Items: Jessye Norman - Christmastide Amazing Grace: Jessye Norman The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs Spirituals in Concert Jessye Norman Classics ASIN: B0000040VJ Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Sanctus
2. Ave Maria
3. Panis Angelicus
4. O Divine Redeemer
5. The Holy City
6. Amazing Grace
7. Greensleeves
8. Let's Us Break Bread Together
9. I Wonder As I Wander
10. Sweet Little Jesus Boy
11. Gesu Bambino

Customer Reviews:

How sweet the sound!.......2003-01-23

Heaven must be missing an angel because she's here with us-singing on this disc. This is arguably one of the most beautiful recordings of sacred music ever made. Ms. Norman brings a lifetime of experience to this genre-she joined her church choir at 4! The warm acoustics make you feel like you are sitting in your favorite pew-albeit with a magnificent vocalist in the choirloft. Jessye has conquered the world's opera houses in the most demanding roles-one of which garnered her a fifty-five minute standing ovation (Salzberg). But she is most resplendent in the music of her youth. The majestic voice soars over the orchestra and chorus to deliver the full beauty of the music. Ms. Norman also performs selections with organ accompaniment-appropiate since her voice has often been compared to the king of instruments-"with all the stops pulled out"! You will hear why she is one of the most acclaimed recitalists of our time. Her expansive vocal range encompasses every nuance of the music heard here. We are taken on a journey through the entire spectrum of the category starting with a classical Mass, moving through an American spiritual and finishing with a Christmas carol that will keep you in a festive mood year 'round. Amoung the gems on this disc is an Ave Maria sung in German and arguably the most powerful solo recorded performance of "The Holy City" ever. If you want to hear what the heavenly choir sounds like before entering the pearly gates-listen to this disc. Brava Jessye!

breathtaking!.......1999-03-22

The Sanctus, and the Holy City will send chills down your spine! Absolutey Breathtaking.

incredibly moving.......1999-02-25

I was listening to the local public radio station when they played the Sanctus and I literally had to drive off the road to listen it was so powerfyl and moving. Jessye Norman is a national treasure.

Average customer rating: "Lord, How Come Me Here" WOW! uhm......yeah right!! scadalise my name Broadway takes on the spiritual ...

Spirituals in Concert Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Amazing Grace: Jessye Norman The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs Kathleen Battle · Wynton Marsalis ~ Baroque Duet / Anthony Newman · Orch St. Luke's · Nelson Kathleen Battle & Christopher Parkening ~ Pleasures of Their Company The Best of Kathleen Battle ASIN: B000001GDC Release Date: 1991-03-08

Tracks:

1. In That Great Getting Up Morning
2. Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
3. Over My Head/ Lil' David
4. Oh, What A Beautiful City
5. Lord, How Come Me Here
6. I Believe I'll Go Back Home-Lordy, Won't You Help Me
7. Ride On, King Jesus
8. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot-Ride Up In The Chariot
9. You Can Tell The World
10. Scandalize My Name
11. Great Day
12. Oh, Glory
13. Calvary-They Crucified My Lord
14. Talk About A Child
15. Gospel Train
16. My God Is So High
17. There Is A Balm In Gilead
18. He's Got The Whole World In His Hand

Customer Reviews:

"Lord, How Come Me Here".......2007-06-18

I must add, to the praises above, that Kathleen Battle's "Lord, How Come Me Here" is the best "quick" explanation of the long-lasting effects of slavery that I can think of. The line, "They sold my children away," says it all.

And the VERY funny "Scandelize My Name" is also worth the price of the total album!

Alinde O'Malley

WOW!.......2007-03-22

You know, after owning both the CD and VHS of this performance, and having been coached by Sylvia Olden Lee herself, it is no wonder why spiritual mean so much to me. And these two ladies bare their souls and bring these masterpieces to life! WOW!!!

uhm......yeah right!!.......2006-06-21

Clearly you are mistaken. I don't know who that guy is-the person below recommended-but there is NO COMPARISON to JESSYE NORMAN AND KATHLEEN BATTLE!!!! Jessye Norman herself has *30* HONARY DOCTRATES from places like Harvard, Juliard, Yale, Cambridge....I mean HELLO!!!! That guy had no where near the ease, the musicality or even the breath support as these two veterans show!! It is a beautiful CD though it came out in 1991 and I HIGHLY recommend it.

scadalise my name.......2004-10-29

this isn't that good specially after hearing William Warfeild sing it. You can find him at www.wlym.com

Broadway takes on the spiritual ..........2004-01-29

... takes it on and puts it on the canvas by the end of the first round.

I'm going to be the dissenting voice here: thank goodness I signed this disk out of the public library 'cause I'm sure not going to listen to it twice.

There is nothing wrong with the performances. Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle sing beautifully, and there's no problem with the pick-up orchestra under James Levine.

The problem, and it's huge, is the conception of the show and the musical arrangements. To make the video marketable, I suppose, the producers decided that the concert had to be big: big names, big arrangements, big effects. So we have eighteen spirituals given the musical theatre treatment, with a philharmonic chorus providing chain-gang sound effects, big brass, and big percussion -- including a chinese gong. A chinese gong in a spiritual??? Spare me! Almost every track turns out sounding like either a curtain-raiser or a big, end-of-act production number with cute and predictable modulations between some of the stanzas and the sort of curly-cue orchestral ornamentation typical of Broadway shows.

And you know what? It all kills the spirituals stone dead. The spiritual is one of those musical forms where less is more and very little is best of all. That's how they started, after all. That's how and why they worked for their original audiences, and that's why they were powerful enough to make the transition from folk song to art song. If you want to hear Battle sing spirituals that are irresistible, listen to the set on her Salzburg recital CD, also with Levine (ASIN B00000E31B). There, the music speaks for itself and speaks with a strength and a beauty that the tracks on this disk never approach.

Average customer rating: People, What Are You Smoking? Solti's Earlier Recording Is Far Superior To This One! Solti's remake of the Ninth is sharper in sound but otherwise little changed WGOD Just AWSOME Beethoven's 9th

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Solti, Sir Georg | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Vocal Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral" Beethoven: Symphony No.9 'choral', 'egmont' Overture Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 9 / Furtwangler, Schwarzkopf Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 / Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Beethoven: Symphonien Nos. 5 & 7 / Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ASIN: B00000428Q Release Date: 1995-08-15

Tracks:

1. The 9th Symphony In D Minor, Op.125: Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
2. The 9th Symphony In D Minor, Op.125: Molto vivace
3. The 9th Symphony In D Minor, Op.125: Adagio molto e cantabile
4. The 9th Symphony In D Minor, Op.125: Presto - Allegro assai - Andante maestoso - Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato

Amazon.com

You seldom hear an unsuccessful performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony these days, or a successful one of the Ninth. The straightforward energy of the Fifth is easy for contemporary musicians to handle, but the greater mystery of the Ninth seems to make conductors uneasy. Conductors seldom attempt the mystical approach of Furtwängler these days, but sometimes a straightforward, sensible approach works out. Such is the case with this 1986 Solti recording, which doesn't court the dangers of Furtwänglerian extremes, but does work out very well on its own terms. Solti's tempos are quite moderate (his total timing is about the same as Furtwängler's), giving him time to make the music's points. Note his strong rhythmic emphasis in the first two movements, highlighted by prominent and powerful tympani. If the long Adagio isn't quite as moving as it can be, it's still convincing and it avoids sentimentality. With Solti's sense of structure, he manages to hold the finale together very well. The solo singers and magnificent chorus contribute powerfully to the total effect. This is certainly one of the better Beethoven Ninths in the catalog, recorded with brilliant clarity and warmth. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

People, What Are You Smoking? Solti's Earlier Recording Is Far Superior To This One!.......2006-11-06

I'm hardly one to always agree with the critics and publications like Gramophone and The Penguin Guide but come on! Solti's earlier version of Beethoven's 9th Symphony from 1972 is much better than this digital remake from the mid 1980's. The Penguin Guide went so far as to call the earlier Solti version one of the best studio recordings of this work ever released and I wholeheartedly agree with them.

Just looking at the two versions superficially you might not see much of a difference but allow me to illuminate. Here are the timings for the two recordings.

The 1972 recording.
1. 17:39
2. 13:57
3. 19:46
4. 24:59

The 1986 recording.
1. 18:11
2. 11:51
3. 19:59
4. 24:41

That doesn't seem very different at all, with the exception of the second movement. The reason the 1972 version is longer in the second movement is because Solti takes an extra repeat, the tempo is actually slighly faster than in the 1986 record. Beyond that, the performances are very similar but why is the earlier one regarded highly? Simply put Solti is much more involved, passionate and volatile in the earlier record plus the Decca analogue sound is far more vibrant and fiery than the digital sound provided for the later account of the symphony. The one thing this digital performance can count as an advantage is the great Jessye Norman as soprano soloist but the team of soloists from 1972 is even more tremendous with Martti Talvela as the bass!

If you are an admirer of Solti or Beethoven's 9th Symphony, I strongly reccomend buying a copy of the 1972 recording which is available in two separate releases, the "Penguin Classics" and the "Solti Collection". They are the same thing.

Pretty much everything in the earlier version is better, the first movement is more powerful and mysterious, the scherzo highly dramatic with great timpani, the adagio has a lot more inner life and tension and the finale in the 1972 recording like I said has some of the finest soloists and choral work you will ever hear in a performance of this immortal masterpiece! Don't delay, buy that recording today!

Solti's remake of the Ninth is sharper in sound but otherwise little changed.......2006-07-09

The Gramophone is no measure of popular taste, but they hated this Solti Beethoven Ninth from 1986, finding it at times 'extraordinarily tedious.' That opinion reflects Solti's currently unfashionable slow tempos (satisfying only to 90-year-old Germns, the Gramophone says). In fact, this reading isn't radically different from Solti's original 1972 Ninth except in the sharper, more detailed, and aggressive digital sound. Not everyone will like the earsplitting timpani thwacks that begin the Scherzo, but others will be thrilled.

As before, we get broad tempos in the first movement without much attempt at mystery or soul-searching. Solti's 18-min. timing is slow compared to Toscanini at 14 min. and Karajan (1963) at 15 min. The Scherzo is straightforward but a little more aggressive than the first time around, and the Adagio, as before, is very slow, even compared to Klemperer, without a great deal of inner life and tension. The finale is superbly sung by both soloists and chorus, yet this time around Hans Sotin's bass recitatives can't match the combinaiton of authority and songfulness that made Martti Talvela outstanding in the first Solti version.

It's hard to miss that the Choral Sym. brings out lots of Amazon reviewers who trumpet that "the greatest" CD has arrived when it is more helpful to describe what's actually happening in any given performance.

WGOD.......2006-02-05

Anyone whose neck hairs don't rise when listening to the Ninth Symphony's choral part has no soul.
Pastors should periodically play it to keep their flock from ever doubting there's a god.
In case you miss the point, the Ninth is the closest that a piece of music has ever come to perfection, especially when the climax approaches the stratosphere as the bass, tenor, alto and soprano soloists sing dueling arias. Even more miraculous: Beethoven wrote the Ninth after lead poisoning rendered him totally deaf.
So if you're going to eavesdrop on the heavenly spheres for a while, make sure your recording features at least one angel-on-earth among the soloists.
And soprano Jessye Norman's wings always lift her to the rafters of even the most imposing concert hall.

Just AWSOME.......2005-11-19

I like this piece because of its musical conventions. The best of all classical symphonies.

Beethoven's 9th.......2004-06-28

This is the most passionate, nuanced rendition of Beethoven's 9th I have ever listened to. Spectacular.

Average customer rating: Sprechstimme??? response to weirdears Great Erwartung, OK Pierrot... I loved it There are Many Better Versions

Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire - Lied der Waldtaube - Erwartung / Minton, J. Martin, J. Norman, Zukerman, Harrell, Barenboim; Boulez Arnold Schoenberg , Ensemble InterContemporain , Pierre Boulez , Jessye Norman , Yvonne Minton , Daniel Barenboim , Lynn Harrell , Michel Debost , Antony Pay , BBC Symphony Orchestra , and Janis Martin Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Schoenberg | Schoenberg, Arnold | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Schoenberg - Die Glückliche Hand · Variations for Orchestra, Op.31 · Verklärte Nacht / Nimsgern · BBC Orch. · NY Phil. · Boulez Arnold Schoenberg: Serenade/Five Pieces For Orchestra Arnold Schoenberg: Suite, Op. 29, for 2 Clarinets, Bass Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello & Piano / Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 (Sextet for 2 Violins, 2 Violas & 2 Celli) - Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No1; Die Jacobsleiter Schoenberg: The String Quartets ASIN: B00000281B Release Date: 1993-07-13

Tracks:

1. Erwartung, Op. 17: Scene I: 'Hier hinein?...Man sieht den Weg nicht...'
2. Erwartung, Op. 17: Scene II: 'Ist das noch der Weg?'
3. Erwartung, Op. 17: Scene III: 'Da kommt ein Licht!...'
4. Erwartung, Op. 17: Scene IV: 'Er ist auch nicht da...'
5. Erwartung, Op. 17: Scene IV: 'Das Mondlicht...nein dort...'
6. Erwartung, Op. 17: Scene IV: 'Nein, das ist doch nicht moglich...'
7. Erwartung, Op. 17: Scene IV: 'Du siehst wieder dort hin!...'
8. Erwartung, Op. 17: Scene IV: 'Der Morgen trennt uns...'
9. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part I: 1. Mondestrunken
10. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part I: 2. Colombine
11. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part I: 3. Der Dandy
12. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part I: 4. Eine blasse Wascherin
13. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part I: 5. Valse de Chopin
14. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part I: 6. Madonna
15. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part I: 7. Der kranke Mond
16. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part II: 8. Nacht (Passacaglia)
17. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part II: 9. Gebet an Pierrot
18. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part II: 10. Raub
19. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part II: 11. Rote Messe
20. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part II: 12. Galgenlied
21. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part II: 13. Enthauptung
22. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part II: 14. Die Kreuze
23. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part III: 15. Heimweh
24. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part III: 16. Gemeinheit
25. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part III: 17. Parodie
26. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part III: 18. Der Mondfleck
27. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part III: 19. Serenade
28. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part III: 20. Heimfahrt (Barcarole)
29. Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21: Part III: 21. O alter Duft
30. Gurre-Lieder: Lied der Waldtaube

Customer Reviews:

Sprechstimme???.......2006-03-25

I have a Boulez recording of the Pierrot Lunaire that I recorded on tape from a friend's Lp in 1979. I don't know anything about this lp, except that it is a Boulez's direction, but I think that it is an earlier version of this 1977 recording. The "sprechstimme" is realized better than the De Gaetani recording, obviously better than this '77 Boulez recording (here the reciter sing, and the Pierrot sould absolutely not be sung) and much better than the 1997 recording with Christine Schafer, who sing and often seems, I don't know how to say, almost like a "strangled hen"!... If anybody knows if this recording (my earlier Boulez recording on tape) is available on cd please tell us!!!

response to weirdears.......2006-01-26

this isn't a review (i had to select some stars). i think the reciter's name in the early lp recording of pierrot that he listened to in elementary school is ethel semser (that sounds like lotte lenya, doesn't it?). I have this lp..it's on the westminster label, and it sounds terrific on my old silvertone mono player from the late 40's.

Great Erwartung, OK Pierrot..........2003-07-18

Contained on this Disc are two of Schoenberg's seminal expressionist works, Erwartung and Pierrot Lunaire. Erwartung, a "monodrama", is a terrifying emotional rollercoaster ride through a dark woods at night. Boulez and Janis Martin capture the essence of this piece perfectly, and the BBC orchestra, as usual, delivers a spine chilling accompaniment to this piece. Erwartung is the postershild of expressionist art (both in the music and the text). These works prove to the Philistines of 20th century music that atonality IS a legitamate art form and has the potential to express just about anything, even nothingness. Really, buy this album just for Erwartung, it is the best version I have heard on disc. Where we run into problems is Pierrot. The "Dandy from Bergamo" seems just a bit too lyrical at times. On some other recordings, I get the feeling that the sprechstimme is taken way out of proportion (as Schoenberg does indicate very exact pitches for the reciter, even notating sharps and flats). His original instructions, however, say that the recitation should "not call to mind singing", and Yvonne Minton's voice does, as much as one tries to ignore it. A correct reading Schoenberg's instructions can only be seen as extremely elusive and this, I suppose, is just another legitimate reading of the notation. I suppose we must just use our imaginations and realize that the ideal lies somewhere in between the extremes. So, in conclusion, if you are really a Schoenberg fan, get this CD for Erwartung and a different Pierrot. If you just want to try Schoenberg, then I think other albums might present a better "beginner's package".

I loved it.......2002-09-20

OK, maybe the Sprechstimme is a bit romanticised on this version, but it hasn't sounded this beautiful in many recordings. Deffinitley a good introduction to this work if you're a bit feint-hearted about atonality, and a very informative second version to own even if you're not. Boulez in this repertoire is unbeatable, combining his analytical ear with passion and a sense of line that is just unique. Somehow with him you hear each strand individually while hearing it as a whole.

A warning though about the Gurrelieder. Wonderful though the recording is, Jessye Norman - ample in all ways, line, voice, rubato, feeling - is a tad "cooler" (read: careful and less hystrionic)than Troyanos or Fassbaender on the other two main contenders in my book, Chailly and Ozawa. This is partly because this is an arrangement for smaller orchestra, not the HUGE forces of the original. I was not disapppointed, but some buyers wanting the full symphonic sweep might be. Worth it for Norman though. She brings a largesse to it that is not over the top, but conveys the post-romantic yearning so poigniantly. I have to withhold the 5th star because Norman doesn't quite let rip, and because this is not the only version of Pierrot one should own.

There are Many Better Versions.......2002-07-19

I have loved Pierrot lunaire since I was in late elementary school (yes I was a weird child!) but had not picked up a CD copy, content with my old pirated tape of a mono recording. (One of the first LP versions of the piece...I don't remember the performers but it was stunning.The reciter sounds like Lotte Lenya!) And I have always admired Boulez's take on Schoenberg, which is quite transparent, not muddy as so many others can be in this music. But I was extremely disappointed in this CD version.

The problem lies mostly in Yvonne Minton. She is a wonderful singer, but that's just the issue. Pierrot should absolutely NOT be sung. Nor really should it be spoken. Schoenberg's invention of sprechstimme is a unique thing and perhaps among his greatest inventions. It has influenced many composers who have no use for his other musical theories. A good interpretation of this piece makes it sound like a Berlin cabaret piece as seen through a twisted lens. Minton does not do this. She sings, complete with vibrato. As a result, the music looses both the nightmare quality that it should have, and also looses it's sense of humor.

The other pieces on the recording are quite good. The Ewartung is well sung and Boulez brings clarity to an otherwise muddy score. And Jessye Norman sings the Lied der Waldtaube beautifully. But the Gurrelieder piece is best in the context of the complete oratorio, and there are other equally good recordings of Ewartung (there's a wonderful one on a Phillips two-fer that also includes Verklarte Nacht, the Orchestral Variations, and the first Chamber Symphony.)

For the Pierrot, I would recommend the later Boulez recording with Schafer doing the reciter's part, or Jan De Gaetani and Arthur Weissberg's ensemble. This one just doesn't capture the work at all.

Average customer rating: wonderful Favorite Soprano: Gorgeous Dramatic Voice Amazing.... if you get it somewhere else A MUST HAVE... Amazing Voice

The Essential Jessye Norman [Includes DVD: Jessye Norman Sings Carmen] Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Franck, César | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mascagni | Mascagni, Pietro | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Paris Symphony Orchestra | ( P ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Adam, Adolphe-Charles | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Berlioz, Hector | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Bernstein, Leonard | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Vocal Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Mascagni, Pietro | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Purcell, Henry | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Schubert, Franz | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Strauss, Richard | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Rodgers, Richard | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Wagner, Richard | U to Z | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Franck, Cesar | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: I Was Born in Love With You Jessye Norman Classics Very Best of Jessye Norman at Christmas (Ac3 Dol Dts) Jessye Norman - Sacred Songs ~ Ave Maria, Amazing Grace, etc.. ASIN: B00067GKEM Release Date: 2005-01-11

Tracks:

1. Quand Je Vous Aimerai? L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera)
2. Pres Des Ramparts De Seville (Seguidilla)
3. Porgi, Amor, Qualche Ristoro
4. E Susanna Non Vien! ... Dove Sono I Bei Momenti
5. Regina Coeli Laetare ... Inneggiamo, Il Signor Non E Morto (Easter Hymn)
6. Thy Hand Belinda ... When I Am Laid In Earth
7. Cacilie, Op. 27 No. 2
8. Wiegenlied
9. Villanelle (No. 1)
10. Standchen
11. Ave Maria
12. Amazing Grace
13. Somewhere
14. With A Song In My Heart
15. O Holy Night
16. Panis Angelicus
17. Mild Und Leise (Isoldes Liebestod)

Customer Reviews:

wonderful.......2007-04-04

This record is wonderful; simply Jessye Norman. What else can I say: loved it!

Favorite Soprano: Gorgeous Dramatic Voice.......2006-11-05

The first time I ever heard Jessye Norman sing was a recording of Dich Teure Halle from Wagner's Tannhauser, and I was immediately enchanted. She has a gorgeous ringing tone and powerful voice. However, she can also bring her voice to a delicate sweetness that other dramatic sopranos find difficult. This album is put together particularly well. I love her Carmen and Isolde here, but I cannot stop listening to the other songs either, the non-operatic ones included. This my favorite CD, and I would definitely reccomend it to anyone considering the purchase.

Amazing.... if you get it somewhere else.......2006-05-28

I got it for HKD $69 in HKV in Hong Kong (which is around 8.70USD)

A MUST HAVE..........2006-02-09

The American soprano Jessye Norman was born in Augusta, Georgia (the segregated South) on September 15, 1945 in a family of amateur musicians; her mother a pianist, her father a singer in a local choir.

Norman received a scholarship to Howard University (a historically black university in Washington, D.C.) -NOT INDIANA-, graduating in 1967 with a degree in music. The following year, she won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. She made her operatic debut in 1969 as Elisabeth in Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser at the Berlin State Opera, and in subsequent years performed with various German and Italian opera companies. She returned to the US to make her professional concert debut at Lincoln Center in 1973.

Amazing Voice.......2005-07-06

Jessye Norman has possibly the greatest voice I have ever heard. Being a bass/baritone, I usually shy away from higher voices (especially tenors), but I find this soprano to be flooring. For being a classicaly trained vocalist (she attended Indiana University) Ms. Norman has an incredibly versatile voice. In this album alone, she sings broad French arias, light Mozart, spirituals, and Broadway. Each is done superbly. Out of every track, her rendition of "Ave Maria" is my favorite. She sings it so tenderly and intimately, it is like she is singing it directly in front of you. You will be moved, certainly.

I suggest this CD to everyone, a fan of classical music or not. It is important for everyone to have these songs to relax, calm down, or to just listen to. You would not regret it.

Average customer rating: ethereal heights exquisite, wistful The classic Strauss repackaged at mid price, but...

Strauss: Four Last Songs / Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Strauss, Richard | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Wagner, Richard | U to Z | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music $9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Norman, Jessye | ( N ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Handel Holst: The Planets; Grainger: The Warriors Strauss: Four Last Songs/12 Orchestral Songs Joshua Bell ~ Bernstein - West Side Story Suite Saint-Saëns: Symphony No.3/Debussy: La Mer/Ibert: Escales ASIN: B0000523QL Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

1. Vier letzte Lieder
2. Vier letzte Lieder
3. Vier letzte Lieder
4. Vier letzte Lieder
5. Wesendonk - Lieder
6. Wesendonk - Lieder
7. Wesendonk - Lieder
8. Wesendonk - Lieder
9. Wesendonk - Lieder

Customer Reviews:

ethereal heights.......2006-12-04

Richard Strauss wrote the Four Last Songs in 1948, when he was in his 80s, and a year away from his own death. His country had been devastated by the Second World War, and it was from the lofty plateau of a wiser old age that he looks back with these wonderful reflections on mortality and the rich beauty of life. I think the Four Last Songs the best thing Strauss wrote.
Many will debate their favourite recordings. There are different strengths to different performances. For me, Jessye Norman has the controlled power to make this the standout performance so far recorded. Kurt Masur's conducting is superb, and the Gewandhaus produces all the calm variation of this rich score.
Whilst Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder are a very satisfying addition, they do not reach the ethereal heights of the Strauss.

exquisite, wistful.......2004-04-11

as far as the repackaging goes, the other Strauss lieder with the original pale in comparison anyway, as does, frankly, most other music: these four works transcend sentiment and worldly fodder, and manage to connect with some other timeless place. Generally, if I so much as think of this record, I get waves of goosebumps. This is a pinnacle of human achievement.

The classic Strauss repackaged at mid price, but..........2001-12-19

This recording of Strauss' four last songs towers over the recorded history of that work. More than any other rendition Norman can claim to evince the songs as Flagstad premiered them with huge Wagnerian waves of sound. Norman will thrill, delight, amaze and pin you to your seat until she is finished.

Unfortunately Masur chose some ridiculously slow speeds but you can get used to those. Generally you'll be too distracted by Norman to notice, so it's not a big problem. At least nothing is too fast, which in these songs is the greater sin.

The Vier Letzte Lieder was originally coupled with six Strauss lieder performances (still available at full price) and one can't help feeling a little short-changed that Phillips replaced these with the Wessendonck-lieder, losing many delights in the process (and a reasonable amount of listening time).

The Wagner is a good performance (it could hardly be less from Norman), but I can't bring myself to call it 'great'. Studer (again coupled with an indispensable if less-known vier letzte lieder) and Eaglen (with a poor Strauss but excellent Berg) both bring something more beautiful and more interesting to these songs.

In the end, unless you really only want the vier letzte lieder, the mid-price repackaging is a bit of a farce, as you only get two-thirds of the music. You may as well pay for the full price recording and get the other Strauss lieder instead - they're more worthwhile than the Wessendonck-lieder in any case.

Average customer rating: Which is the best Lohengrin? Ultimately too "langweilich" and boring Domingo and Norman make a bella voce duo Wagner, Twain and Carlyle Whew! Opera reviews! I'd rather mud wrestle!

Wagner: Lohengrin Richard Wagner , Sir Georg Solti , Plácido Domingo , Jessye Norman , Wiener Philharmoniker , Wiener Staatsoperchor , Eva Randova, Hans Sotin, Siegmund Nimsgern Anna Gonda , and Peter Jelosits, Thomas Mohr Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Solti, Sir Georg | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baritones | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Tannhauser (Slipcase) Tannhäuser / Domingo, Studer, Baltsa, Salminen, A. Schmidt; Sinopoli An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti ASIN: B0000041TF Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Lohengrin: Orchestervorspiel
2. Lohengrin: Act I: Hort! Grafen, Edle, Freie von Brabant!
3. Lohengrin: Act I: Dank, Konig, dir, dass du zu richten kamst!
4. Lohengrin: Act I: Seht hin! Sie naht, die hart Beklagte!
5. Lohengrin: Act I: Einsam in truben Tagen
6. Lohengrin: Act I: Mich irret nicht ihr traumerischer Mut
7. Lohengrin: Act I: Wer hier im Gotteskampf zu streiten kam
8. Lohengrin: Act I: Nun sei bedankt, mein lieber Schwan!
9. Lohengrin: Act I: Zum Kamp fur eine Magd zu stehn
10. Lohengrin: Act I: Nun hort! Euch, Volk und Edlen, mach'ich kund
11. Lohengrin: Act I: Nun horet mich und achtet wohl
12. Lohengrin: Durch Gottes Sieg ist jetzt dein Leben mein

Tracks:

1. Lohengrin: Act II: Einleitung
2. Lohengrin: Act II: Erhebe dich, Genossin meiner Schmach! (Friedrich)
3. Lohengrin: Act II: Du wilde Seherin (Friedrich)
4. Lohengrin: Act II: Euch Luften, die mein Klagen (Elsa)
5. Lohengrin: Act II: Elsa! (Ortrud)
6. Lohengrin: Act II: Entwihte Gotter! Helft jetzt meiner Rache! (Ortrud)
7. Lohengrin: Act II: Wie kann ich solche Huld dir lohnen (Ortrud)

Tracks:

1. Lohengrin: In Fruhn versammelt uns der Ruf
2. Lohengrin: Des Konigs Wort und Will' tu' ich euch kund
3. Lohengrin: Gesegnet soll sie schreiten
4. Lohengrin: Zuruck Elsa! Nicht langer will ich dulden
5. Lohengrin: O Konig! Trugbetorte Fursten! Haltet ein!
6. Lohengrin: Welch ein Geheimnis muss der Held bewahren?
7. Lohengrin: Mein Held entegne kuhn dem Ungetreuen

Tracks:

1. Lohengrin: Orchestervorspiel
2. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene I - Treulich gefuhrt ziehet dahin
3. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene I - Das susse Lied verhallt
4. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene I - Fuhl' ich zu dir so suss mein Herz entbrennen
5. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene I - Atmest du nicht mit mir die sussen Dufte?
6. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene I - Hochstes Vertraun hast du mir schon zu danken
7. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene I - Weh, nun ist all unser Gluck dahin!
8. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene 2 - Heil Konig Heinrich!
9. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene 2 - Macht Platz dem Helden von Brabant!
10. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene 2 - In fernem Land
11. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene 2 - Mir schwankt der Boden! Welche Nacht!
12. Lohengrin: Act III. - Scene 2 - Mein lieber Schwan!

Amazon.com essential recording

Sir George Solti's renditions of Wagner's operas often defined the standard interpretation practice in the post-World War II musical world, and he is at his best in this late 1980s digitally mastered recording partnered with his long-time collaborators, the Vienna Philharmonic--perhaps the most emotionally satisfying orchestra in the world for these challenging scores. Domingo, in the title role, shows himself as a true Heldentenor (i.e. a baritone with high notes), and his earlier weakness in German diction is not apparent. Norman's Elsa is musically perfect though at times a bit chilly and distant. The mature compassion of the role of Henry the Fowler is admirably captured by Sotin. The chorus work is first rate, and the excellent cast is rounded out by Randova and the vigorous Nimsgern as the husband/wife villains. --Christian C. Rix

Customer Reviews:

Which is the best Lohengrin?.......2007-01-22

Whenever I offer comparative reviews here of great and lengthy works, I try to have as many versions at hand as possible. But in the case of Lohengrin, most listeners, including myself, stop after reading that the best recording, far and away, is Kempe's on EMI, with Jess Thomas in the title role and Elisabeth Grummer as Elsa. As it happns, I have problems with that set: Thomas sounds heroic and youthful, but he also bleats a little too much and forces his voice in the great climaxes. Grummer sounds touchingly innocent--she's a light, lyric Elsa who hasn't grown up yet--but the fast beat in her voice bothered me. I also don't accept that Kempe's conducting is the last word on the score.

As a result I have chased across the landscape for a better, if not ideal recording. My thumbnail conclusions:

Jochum/Bayreuth -- a live 1954 performance that features the young Windgassen as Lohengrin and a surpisingly supple Birgit Nilsson as Elsa. Available on several labels, this performance sounds reasonably good for broadcast mono, and the leads are worthy, but Windgassen's voice is unlovely, and Nilsson is chilly and by no means innocent-sounding. Even so, this would be one of the top recommendations if it weren't for Jochum's dull, unimaginative conducting. Reviewers at Amazon tend to focus solely on the singers in opera recordings; I always listen first to the conductor, who shapes the whole work, after all. Jochum rarely rises above the routine.

Leinsdorf/ BSO -- This recently re-released Living Stereo set has remained out of print for two good reasons. The scheduled Elsa droped out and was replaced at the last minute by the totally inadequate Lucina Amara. Second, Leinsdorf's conducting veers between dullness and perversity, with tempos and phrasing that drive me up the wall. The only reason to buy this RCA recording is for Sandor Konya, the best Lohengrin of his generation (he was also the best Walther in Meistersinger), a golden-voiced delight.

Abbado/ Vienna Phil. -- This 1994 release marked Abbado's first experience conducting a Wagner opera, and he does himself proud. The socre is beautifully shaped, and the Viennese orchestra and chorus are beyond praise. Siegfried Jerusalem would have benefited from being recorded ten years earleir, but his is a very musical Lohengrin and a strong characterization. Cheryl Studer, who specialized onstage in the role of Elsa, gives one of her best (and last) recorded performances, not as fresh-voiced as a decade earleir on Philips but still gleaming and youthful. For me, this ranks as an equal to Solti's reading.

Solti/ Vienna Phil. -- With the same orchestra and chorus as Abbado's, Solti gets a more powerful, aggressive sound, abetted by an extremely vivid, dynamic recording. It's true, as others comment, that his style is not as driven, even manic as in the past, but the aggression is sitll there. Domingo is distinctly not a German tenor in style (or pronunciation), but Lohengrin was a viable stage role for him vocally, and he sings with great conviciton. Persoanly, I think he's not a patch on Konya or Jerusalem, but he's a positive force here. As for Jessye Norman, it would be silly to claim that she is trying to be a young, naive woman, or that her huge voice is right for an essentially lyric role. As always, she is regal and distant. But the sheer voluptuousness of her tone is irresistible, and she has such power that she can ride easily over the gigantic orchestra. In al, this whole produciton is a star turn, and all the stars involved are at their best.

In an ideal world Konya would return to life to record under Abbado with Grummer as Elsa and the Vienna Phil. in the pit. None of the sets above rise to that ideal, but they all have something special to offer. When next I get the Lohengrin itch, I will seek out the DG set under Kubelik with James King in the title role; it's the one major modern recording I haven't heard.

Ultimately too "langweilich" and boring.......2007-01-20

A decade separates this Lohengrin from Sir Georg's last Wagner recordings then (Meistersinger and Fliegende, 1975 and 1976 respectively). The least we can say is that in the interval Sir Georg considerably changed his approach to Wagner conducting.

In the 40s, the 50s, the 60s and the 70s he was extremely energetic with strong dynamics, contrast, but first and foremost an intuitive sense of drama - never did I have a better impression of a story being told than by Sir Georg's beautiful readings of most Wagner operas (The Wiener Philharmoniker played in most cases, except the Chicago SO for Fliegende and the remake of Meistersinger).
Did he get bored by the frequent accusations of being "noisy"? Did he want to leave the image to posterity of being a "thinking" conductor, with broad tempi? In any case, in the mid-80s, Sir Georg started to broaden his tempi unreasonably, and at 3h42,this is the longest Lohengrin on CD (with Kubelik and Karajan).
As a result, he loses his usual drive - his clear strong point, and for once forgets about the drama. This Lohengrin therefore sounds like a romantic version of St Mattheus' Passion and is very very static. This is particularly true of the ensembles.
The result is that musically the singers are suffering: listen to Domingo at the beginning of Act III's duet: he really is struggling with the singing line, which is completely incredible considering how great a heldentenor he is! The Domingo fans (count me in!) will simply privilege him on stage with Claudio Abbado in Vienna (DVD, Kultur). Here he is just going through the (slow) motion of his conductor. Jessye Norman has a beautiful instrument and she sounds very aristocratic but - I agree with other reviewers, she is a bit distant and lacks passion. Bar Eva Randova, portraying a successfully evil Ortrud, the rest of he cast is simply disastrous. I said in the review for Solti's Tannhauser (on Amazon, 5-stars) that picking good Wagnerian singers in the seventies was difficult: in the eighties it was virtually impossible, and bar the two main parts, the rest of the cast is lacking: Siegmund Nimsgern can't sing Telramund but, to be fair, very few singers can do a good job with this most lethal of all Wagner baritone parts. Fischer-Dieskau is past his sale date as the Herald while Sotin's King sounds quite old.
The Wiener Philharmoniker and the Wiener Staasoper play beautifully but they are asked to play an oratorio - not an opera. In light of Solti's usual qualities (I am a fan), this set is a true disappointment: I would have re-recorded Lohengrin in his shoes, not Meistersinger. Amateurs will return to Melchior/Rethberg/Bodanzky (MET, 1935 obliterating), Kempe/Thomas (1964, EMI - a classic) or even Sawallisch/Thomas in Bayreuth (1962, Phillips) for the urgency of the theatre.

Domingo and Norman make a bella voce duo .......2007-01-04

The VPO and Solti are a dream team for Wagner. This is my favorite Wagnerian score; most of Wagner's operas seem to go on forever, endless narrations etc. but except for a few minutes in act 2, this one moves along as nicely as a Verdi's best works. This recording bring together two very beautiful voices for Lohengrin and Elsa; Domingo and Norman create a sonic feast for the ears and what a pleasure to hear Wagner sung so beautifully. Randova is appropriately chilling as Ortrud. The sound quality is good.

Wagner, Twain and Carlyle.......2006-10-05

In his Tramp Abroad Mark Twain reports attending a performance of this opera and finding it intolerable. Specifically he complained that the opera was too loud. In reality he probably had no taste for anything but Stephen Foster songs; but his complaint reflects something definitive about Wagner's work. This is Wagnerian grand opera. The male voices that dominate the opening scenes are involved in ceremonial politics in the time of Henry the Fowler before the creation of the Holy Roman Empire in 962. The emphatic, full-volume singing represents Wagner's sense of medieval government by men and customs rather than by laws and committees.

In that sense the opera parallels Germanophile Thomas Carlyle's "great man" concept of history stated in a lecture series in 1840. It is this belief in human greatness centered in superior leaders that created the appeal of Wagner and Carlyle for Adolf Hitler. Because much of European culture since 1945 has been based on nothing but reaction against Hitler, it is amusing to read the recording booklet of the Haitink-Jerusalem Siegfried where the German writer attempts to explain away Wagner's gods and heroes by drawing attention to the instrumental "Forest Murmurs" as the true Wagner. By that account Henry the Fowler in Lohengrin must be the false Wagner despite the historical importance of this ruler. The modern case against great men is all part of a standard reaction against Renaissance culture just as the correlative case against militarism is a standard reaction against the Middle Ages. Wagner knew better. Neither "great men" nor chivalric heroism are going to go away because somebody prefers the "Forest Murmers" and rejoices over the thematic pointlessness of Debussy's Pelleas and Melisande. If we wish, we can turn down the volume on the political voices in Lohengrin in the same way that some people take drugs.

Whew! Opera reviews! I'd rather mud wrestle!.......2006-01-07

Wowser! Only within the last decade has opera broken open for me (after too many years) and I'm having a blast. The only broad rule I've uncovered is that if I want a genuinely satisfying experience--the best mix of performances, sound, sincerity, and whatnot--I have to go back a few years. Modern recordings sound like museum pieces--perfectly rendered but kind of two-dimensional. To this I will only except recent Gluck recordings and some period instrument odds and ends. Who in 1990 or 2005 really believes in Parsifal or Fidelio?

This is a late entry but it works stupendously, largely because the cast is great and primarily because Solti and the still-believing Vienna Philharmonic have genuine Wagner in their blood. From the opening bars, the commitment is there. OK the German isn't perfect (whose is?) but Domingo hardly wrecks this unless you've glommed onto one recording and can't stand a different sound, no matter how good. This, I notice often, seems to be the chief failing of opera reviewers and it bothers me. If I were new to this and I was trying to get a sense of what to buy I'd get confused and annoyed by the sometimes childish cat-fights and comments (see way below). One reviewer (elsewhere) admitted to intentionally giving low ratings to Beverly Sills recordings because someone else was "disrespecting" (THE worst new expression of my lifetime--no, I take that back, "ramping-up" is the worst) Callas. Check elsewhere in Amazonia, and with the exception of sophomoric, uh, sophomores giving one-star reviews to books by hated professors, you'll be hard-pressed to find more immature commentaries than many of those on opera. Ironically these lone-star rants (that are often stuffed with misspellings) exist alongside detailed and penetrating analyses of the recordings at hand. Then there's the seemingly literate "expert" who, against a universal five-star tidal wave of approval, insists the well-loved lead vocalist is, in fact, screeching his or her way through a musical epic. Tinnitus? A worn or dirty stylus on an old LP machine? Mice in the CD player? This sort of thing bewilders me, as it must you too.

I've heard a few other great Lohengrins but I can't think of one with this kind of sonic oomph that was worth sonically oomphing. All in all a total beauty.

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