Track Listing

1. Tod und Verklärung, Op.24 - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
2. Metamorphosen for 23 Solo Strings - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
3. 1. Frühling - Gundula Janowitz, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
4. 2. September - Gundula Janowitz, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
5. 3. Beim Schlafengehen - Gundula Janowitz, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
6. 4. Im Abendrot - Gundula Janowitz, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20040 in Music
• Released on: 1995-04-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 77 minutes

Customer Reviews

Slush corner?
I have heard both the Oboe concerto and Four Last Songs described as, 'slush corner'. Even if you find sympathy with that idea, on this disc the programme is spiked with the searing string piece Metamorphosen; written by Strauss in grief over the events of the Second World War. Karajan does not unduly smooth the shaping of the piece which would loose its bite.
However most people will buy this disc for the Four Last Songs. It depends whether you want the word pointing of say Schwarzkopf, or whether you can accept the rapt beauty of Janowitz who to an extent becomes another instrument of the orchestra. That is not to say she is bland, she unerringly creates mood and there can never have been a more beautiful voice employed in these songs. I return again and again to this disc. The Oboe concerto is said not to be a masterpiece, but to my ears it saturates the ear with melody and is beautifully performed. This disc has been available at full, medium and bargain price over the years, but has never been out of the catalogue which tells us something about its appeal.

Astonishing
I bought this disc without the slightest idea of what to expect. The orchestral works don't really do anything much for me, I must admit, but the songs.....I can't remember the point at which they became essential listening. There's nothing slushy about them - "glowingly beautiful" is how they were described by one reviewer. I get completely lost in them, and having the text of the poems to read serves to heighten the effect. I was surprised when a friend returned the disc and said he thought they were okay. For me they are heaven, matched only by Mahler's Ruckert Lieder and Kindertotenlieder. And this is the only recording to have - I have several others, but they don't come anywhere near the perfection of Gundula Janowitz.

Grand
Gundula Janowitz recorded on of my all-time favorite Schubert recitals, so I bought this CD to hear her sing Strauss' "Vier letzte Lieder". I am not particularly fond of Strauss' orchestral works, but found this to be a highly engaging recording.

"Tod und Verklärung" offer all the drama and grandeur of "Zarathustra" - with the extra bonus that it hasn't been played to death as film music. The "Metamorphosen" for 23 solo strings are of a very different character, and intense, almost introverted work which sets the mood for the closing "Vier letzte Lieder".

The songs should have been tailor-made for Janowitz: An accomplished opera singer and a respected Lied singer, I imagined she would combine the greatness of the orchestral scope with the intimacy of the songs' texts (which, of course, are all about death - written towards the end of the composer's life).

Well, this is a Karajan - Berliner Philharmoniker- cooperation. And what they did together, they did on a grand scale. So Janowitz, too, emphasizes the orchestral, almost aria-like quality of the songs, lending enormous power to the performance. The finer shades of emotional content are lost in the process, but - man! - is this grand! Though I prefer more Lied-like readings of these works, Janowitz, Karajan and the BP truly sweep me off my feet! (I don't by the way, particularly like using exclamation marks, but this kind of recording makes me do it ...) Everything here is at the same time big and intense.

Not my favorite reading, but certainly one worth having. Also, a fantastic introduction to the world of Richard Strauss' music overall.