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.

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