Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
This great and legendary voice of the post-1945 period remains for many the incarnation of the world of German music, specifically for the operas of Richard Strauss, the performances of which remain a model of singing, of style, of perfect diction and emotion, qualities which are rarely found together in a single artist. She has also left us two recordings of Vier letzte Lieder (with Otto Ackermann, and later, with George Szell) which are absolute works of reference. 13 year separate these two versions which every music lover will want to get to know: the first, with a more ductile, supple voice, more enchanting than the second, darker and more sombre, with dulled mid-range notes. But one shouldn't pin her to a single composer, because Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was also a great recitalist, in particular with the famous English pianist Gerald Moore. Together, they recorded a number of albums dedicated to the German Lied, from Mozart to Hugo Wolf. An accomplished Mozartian, Schwarzkopf also sang Italian opera (a Turandot appears, with Maria Callas).
We must also not forget the field of the operetta, to which Elisabeth Schwarzkopf brought such a noble bearing. She sparkled with particular shine in Johan Strauss's Die Fledermaus or One Night in Venice. In a less typical register, we also find her performing Pelléas et Mélisande, Debussy's masterpiece, where she sang under Karajan's direction and in Stravinsky's Rake's Progress, in the role of Anne Trulove, which she performed at Venice's La Fenice, directed by the composer, in 1951.
With Christa Ludwig and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf gave us immortal recordings of the Lieder of Hugo Wolf, to whose fame she contributed immensely.
The singer was also known for her inflexible personality, and an ardour for her work which allowed her a long career that spanned over three decades. At her height, in full command of her abilities, she cut down her roles, choosing only to keep those that she could absolutely master: Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro), Countess Madeleine (Capriccio), and her signature role, the Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier). Her art seduces or appals, depending on whether or not you like her finely-chiselled work, which is as multi-layered as a Viennese whirl. At the opera, her collaborations with Wilhelm Furtwängler or Herbert von Karajan were the perfect marriage of intelligence and the most heightened sensibility. It is perhaps in the Lieder, with dream partners such as Edwin Fischer, Furtwängler, Gieseking or Moore that Elisabeth Schwarzkopf reveals the most intimate, highest secrets of her art. Thanks to her husband and manager, Welter Legge, famous musical producer at the British firm EMI, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf has created a large number of recordings which today form an inimitable ensemble.
© FH / Qobuz
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Brahms: A German Requiem, Op. 45
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.1991
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 10.12.1968
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Don Giovanni by Wilhelm Furtwängler (2022 Remastered, Salzburger Festspiele 1954)
Wilhelm Furtwängler, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Oper - Erschienen bei Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording am 08.01.2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
W. A. Mozart : Cosi fan tutte
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Alfredo Kraus, Giuseppe Taddei, Karl Böhm, Philharmonia Orchestra
Oper - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.1963
Qobuz’ Schallplattensammlung16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (Stereo Version)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Giuseppe Taddei
Klassik - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
R. Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder & Orchestral Lieder
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.10.1998
Qobuz’ Schallplattensammlung16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Song Recital
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Edwin Fischer
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Deutsche Volkslieder, WoO 33
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.1966
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Operetta
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Perfect Prima Donna
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 21.02.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: Italian Song Book
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 30.08.2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Operetta (Stereo Version)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackermann, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Les noces de Figaro, extraits (Mono Version)
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, George London, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Klassik - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Richard Strauss
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 29.07.2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Seven Songs - Mozart: Concert Arias
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.1969
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 04.08.2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
More Songs You Love (The Christmas Album)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 29.11.2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Songs You Love
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 30.08.2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Strauss: Don Juan, Tod und Verklärung, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche & Vier letzte Lieder
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Ackermann, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Praga Digitals am 01.02.2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Mozart
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 16.09.2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Deutsche Volkslieder
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 06.10.2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo