Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer – Brahms: A German Requiem, Op. 45 (1991/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:21:37 minutes | 3,15 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics
Otto Klemperer’s masterful direction of the Philharmonia Orchestra in Brahms’ opus, “A German Requiem,” resonates with a poignant depth, capturing the soul-stirring essence of this monumental work. With Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s ethereal soprano and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s emotive baritone, this rendition achieves an exquisite balance between solace and solemnity. Each movement unveils a profound narrative, from solemn introspection to moments of soaring, transcendent beauty. Klemperer’s interpretation, steeped in musical finesse and emotional richness, alongside the exceptional vocal prowess of Schwarzkopf and Fischer-Dieskau, grants this recording an enduring place among the definitive performances of Brahms’ Requiem, inviting listeners into a world of contemplation and profound musical catharsis.
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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Elisa Cavelti, Ernst Haefliger, Otto Edelmann, Luzerner Festwochenchor, Philharmonia Orchestra- Lucerne Festival Historic Performances Vol. VI – Wilhelm Furtwängler conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:16:18 minutes | 460 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Audite Musikproduktion
Fanfare Review by Henry Fogel :: This famed performance was Furtwängler’s last of the Ninth; he died a few months later. I have reviewed it many times in Fanfare: Music & Arts releases in 17:4, 19:3, and 31:6, and a Tahra reissue in 32:4. I find no Fanfare review, from me or any other critic, of Pristine’s version. Now we have this “official” Lucerne Festival release, part of an important series of reissues of great Lucerne Festival performances on Audite taken directly from the Swiss Radio masters. (Tahra claimed that as the source too, and it wouldn’t surprise me given the fine quality of that release; Pristine did not indicate a source, but its version also has very good sound). This recording, in fact, boasts top quality monaural broadcast sound from that era—some of the finest sound quality given any Furtwängler performance.
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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Philharmonia Orchestra & Otto Klemperer – Mahler: Symphony No. 4 (Remastered) (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 55:05 minutes | 1,12 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics
“The five songs that follow the performance of the Fourth Symphony (two from Des Knaben Wunderhorn and three from the Rückert-Lieder) date from the time of the Klemperer/Ludwig Das Lied von der Erde, and rank among the finest examples of Mahler singing ever recorded. Christa Ludwig’s “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen”–the most beautiful song in the world?–is every bit as fine as Janet Baker’s more celebrated version on the same label, and Otto Klemperer’s unsentimental conducting style suits the music’s “innigkeit” (“inwardness”) better than Barbirolli’s more affectionate approach.
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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf & Wilhelm Furtwängler – Hugo Wolf Recital – Salzburg, 12/08/1953 (Mono Remastered) (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:05:08 minutes | 620 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics
It is perhaps the songs of Hugo Wolf that most closely define Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s subtle art as a recitalist. At the Salzburg Festival in 1953 she marked the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death in a memorable collaboration with Wilhelm Furtwängler, who – having conducted her frequently in opera and oratorio – here became her accompanist. As the producer Walter Legge wrote: “We must be grateful that this extraordinary occasion was recorded not only for us but also for posterity.”
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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf & Gerald Moore – Wolf: Italian Song Book (Remastered) (1961/2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 39:36 minutes | 782 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics
In 1947 a brilliant generation of Austro-German singers represented the Vienna State Opera for a short season at Covent Garden. Among those known to London audiences from before the war were Maria Cebotari and Hans Hotter; new were Anton Dermota, Erich Kunz and an array of sopranos headed by Hilde Gueden, Sena Jurinac, Emmy Loose, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Irmgard Seefried and Ljuba Welitsch. For one famous evening Richard Tauber joined the cast of Don Giovanni before entering the hospital in which he died four months later. It was a season which, more than any other event at the time, reassured opera-goers that traditions survived and that singing of real distinction, even greatness, might yet be heard in the postwar world.
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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf & Gerald Moore – Songs You Love (Remastered) (1957/2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 40:08 minutes | 775 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics
In 1947 a brilliant generation of Austro-German singers represented the Vienna State Opera for a short season at Covent Garden. Among those known to London audiences from before the war were Maria Cebotari and Hans Hotter; new were Anton Dermota, Erich Kunz and an array of sopranos headed by Hilde Gueden, Sena Jurinac, Emmy Loose, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Irmgard Seefried and Ljuba Welitsch. For one famous evening Richard Tauber joined the cast of Don Giovanni before entering the hospital in which he died four months later. It was a season which, more than any other event at the time, reassured opera-goers that traditions survived and that singing of real distinction, even greatness, might yet be heard in the postwar world.
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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf & Gerald Moore – Wolf: The Italian Songbook (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:19:42 minutes | 1,54 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics
In 1947 a brilliant generation of Austro-German singers represented the Vienna State Opera for a short season at Covent Garden. Among those known to London audiences from before the war were Maria Cebotari and Hans Hotter; new were Anton Dermota, Erich Kunz and an array of sopranos headed by Hilde Gueden, Sena Jurinac, Emmy Loose, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Irmgard Seefried and Ljuba Welitsch. For one famous evening Richard Tauber joined the cast of Don Giovanni before entering the hospital in which he died four months later. It was a season which, more than any other event at the time, reassured opera-goers that traditions survived and that singing of real distinction, even greatness, might yet be heard in the postwar world.
Read more![Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus, Otto Klemperer - Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem (1961/2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download](https://i0.wp.com/imghd.xyz/images/2023/04/18/51HrDljlosL.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1)
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus, Otto Klemperer – Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem (1961/2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:08:57 minutes | 1,35 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Erato – Warner Classics
Otto Klemperer was one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century and built a renowned reputation for his monumental performances. Leading the Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus, Klemperer delivers one of the greatest recordings of Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem. At the height of their powers, the ensemble was able to combine the rugged spirituality and lyrical aspects of this score. Soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau were in peak form adding stunning solo contributions. This audiophile download is essential for any music lover’s collection.
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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Walter Gieseking – A Mozart Song Recital (1956)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 49:12 minutes | 990 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics
The daughter of a teacher, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf began to study voice in 1934 at the Berliner Musikhochschule with Lula Mysz-Gmeiner and with Maria Ivogun. She also studied lieder interpretation with Michael Raucheisen, Ivogun’s husband. In 1938, Schwarzkopf debuted in Berlin as a Flower Maid in Parsifal. She remained in Berlin until 1944 when she joined the Vienna State Opera making her debut as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Her first international appearances were in 1947 at London with the Vienna State Opera on tour as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Marzelline in Fidelio. She became a regular guest at Covent Garden. That same year she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival and she appeared there nearly every year until 1964. At Salzburg she was best known for her Mozart roles of Donna Elvira, Countess in Le nozze di Figaro and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, but also had great success as Alice Ford in Falstaff and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. Her recitals with Gerald Moore as accompanist at Salzburg were always highly regarded, but in 1953 the great conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler accompanied her in an all Wolf recital. Her Teatro alla Scala debut in 1949 as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro was a great success and she sang there until 1964 in a variety of roles including Melisande, Carmina burana, Catulli Carmina, and Il Trionfo of Orff, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Elsa in Lohengrin, Anne in The Rake’s Progress, Iole in Handel’s Hercules, as well as her Mozart and Strauss roles. She made her San Francisco Opera debut in 1955, but did not sing at the Metropolitan Opera until 1964. Her belated debut there is attributed to her ties to the National Socialist regime in Germany and Austria.
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