Re: R Strauss / Four Last Songs / Flagstad, Furtwängler: more info

On 2024-11-12 11:46 a.m., DeepBlue wrote:

On Tue, 12 Nov 2024 18:06:57 +0000, Roland van Gaalen wrote:
 

Addendum to my message of 26 January 2009 (see below):
>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Last_Songs
>
https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pasc407
-- Roland van Gaalen
The Netherlands
===============================
On 26 January 2009 I wrote:
>
<< To those who can tolerate the sonic limitations of historical
recordings, I
recommend a 2007 Testament release
(which has already been discussed here, albeit briefly):
(1) R Strauss -- Four Last Songs
(2) Wagner -- Tristan & Isolde -- Prelude and Liebestod
(3) Wagner -- Goetterdaemmerung -- Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey
(4) idem -- Finale (starting with "Starke Scheite..."; 19 minutes)
>
(1) is my favorite recording of this piece.
>
It appears to be an improvement over all previous releases, which (if my
information is correct) all lacked the final 30 seconds or so of the
fourth
song.
>
Key features: gorgeous old-fashioned heldensoprano, dramatic orchestral
playing, wonderful interpretation
>
(3) an (4) are equally magnificent.
>
After all, Furtwaengler, Wagner, Goetterdaemmerung, Flagstad,
Philharmonia
Orchestra, Live ... enough said! .
>
I haven't listened to (2) yet.
>
At any rate (1), (3) and (4) are already sufficient for my conclusion:
>
highly recommended, and definitely not only to Furtwaengler completists
>
This is a perfect example that explains why some people develop a
lifelong
addiction to historical recordings.
>
The performance has enormous intensity, by the way; (3) resembles
wartime
Furtwaengler; I have never heard a Rhine Journey like this.
>
It all sounds like a life-and-death matter, as it should.
-- Ref.: Testament SBT 1410
Wilhelm Furtwaengler / Philharmonia Orchestra / Kirsten Flagstad
Live broadcast 22 May 1950
EUR 20 (here) and worth it >> [END OF MESSAGE 26 JANUARY 2009]
===============================================================

 Unfortunetaly, "historical sound"
ain't good enough for this work.
 Personally, I do not like Flagstad
in this work. Her voice is too thick
and heavy. In the Vier letzte Lieder
I prefer lighter, more luminous voices
such as Lisa Della Casa, and lighter
superkonduktors like Fritz Reiner.
 A chacun son (dé)goût.
 Cheers!
 PS. In general I do not like Flagstad at
all. I also do not like Birgit Nilsson at
all. Wagnerian sopranos with thick heavy
voices should have been sent to Gulag.

IMO, the most over-rated version is by Bessie Blackhead.
But then, I can't stand her honking voice in anything.