Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
During a career that spanned nearly five decades, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau established himself as one of the most accomplished performing artists of the twentieth century. He is widely considered to have been the finest modern interpreter of German lieder, and his extensive operatic career was noted for fine musicianship and powerful characterization. He has also made important contributions as an author, conductor, and teacher. Born in Berlin on May 28, 1925, Fischer-Dieskau began his vocal studies at the age of 16, only shortly before being drafted into the Nazi Wehrmacht. After two years as a prisoner of war, the young baritone returned to Germany and soon made his oratorio debut in Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem, and his stage debut in Verdi's Don Carlos (Posa). Engaged as the 'house' lyric baritone (kammersänger) at the Berlin Städtische Oper, he also began making guest appearances at the Vienna Staatsoper, and the Salzburg Festival. In the early 1950's he began a series of engagements at the Bayreuth festival, establishing a lasting relationship with the music of Wagner, especially the role of Wolfram in Tannhäuser. In the following decades, Fischer-Dieskau would traverse an impressive range of operatic roles, including Don Giovanni in Mozart's eponymous work, Mittenhofer in Hans Werner Henze's Elegy for Young Lovers, and John the Baptist in Strauss' Salome; his most critically admired performances were as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Germont père in La Traviata, and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. Fischer-Dieskau's recital career began equally early and impressively -- with a 1948 Radio Berlin broadcast of Schubert's Winterreise; however, it was with his first concerts and recordings with the English collaborative pianist Gerald Moore that his international fame began to spread. Together, the two of them recorded every song of Schubert, Schumann, and Wolf (excluding those few that are generally reserved for the female voice) and considerable portions of those by Brahms, Strauss, Loewe, and Beethoven. This catalogue of repertoire is impressive for its sheer size, and even more so for its consistent excellence; while opinions have sometimes diverged on the subjective merits of Fischer-Dieskau's voice, there is no question that his performances of lieder represented the perfect wedding of poetry and lyricism -- the very essence of the lied. While his collaboration with Gerald Moore was singular in its productivity, Fischer-Dieskau was by no means a "one-pianist" man. His work with accompanist Jörg Demus represents an impressive catalogue of its own, and he made memorable appearances and recordings with many other leading musicians, such as Alfred Brendel, Vladimir Horowitz, Daniel Barenboim, and Sviatoslav Richter. Also, his repertoire was by no means limited to works of the Romantic masters; he has championed the works of lesser-known composers, such as Othmar Schoeck. His cumulative body of recorded performances is stunning, perhaps best illustrated by the number of pieces of which his discography contains multiple (sometimes as many as four!) performances. A number of composers wrote works for him, the most notable of which is Benjamin Britten (Songs and Proverbs of William Blake), whose War Requiem the baritone also premiered in 1962. Certainly Fischer-Dieskau is best characterized by his performances of works for voice and piano, in which his imagination, musicianship, and vocal timbre were showcased to the fullest. However, he made equal strides in the realm of orchestral lieder; his performances of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Rückert Lieder, and Kindertotenlieder are some of the finest on record. Other works he performed with orchestra included the Michelangelo Sonnets of Dmitri Shostakovich, Brahms' German Requiem, and numerous cantatas of Bach and Telemann.© TiVo Read more
During a career that spanned nearly five decades, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau established himself as one of the most accomplished performing artists of the twentieth century. He is widely considered to have been the finest modern interpreter of German lieder, and his extensive operatic career was noted for fine musicianship and powerful characterization. He has also made important contributions as an author, conductor, and teacher.
Born in Berlin on May 28, 1925, Fischer-Dieskau began his vocal studies at the age of 16, only shortly before being drafted into the Nazi Wehrmacht. After two years as a prisoner of war, the young baritone returned to Germany and soon made his oratorio debut in Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem, and his stage debut in Verdi's Don Carlos (Posa). Engaged as the 'house' lyric baritone (kammersänger) at the Berlin Städtische Oper, he also began making guest appearances at the Vienna Staatsoper, and the Salzburg Festival. In the early 1950's he began a series of engagements at the Bayreuth festival, establishing a lasting relationship with the music of Wagner, especially the role of Wolfram in Tannhäuser. In the following decades, Fischer-Dieskau would traverse an impressive range of operatic roles, including Don Giovanni in Mozart's eponymous work, Mittenhofer in Hans Werner Henze's Elegy for Young Lovers, and John the Baptist in Strauss' Salome; his most critically admired performances were as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Germont père in La Traviata, and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro.
Fischer-Dieskau's recital career began equally early and impressively -- with a 1948 Radio Berlin broadcast of Schubert's Winterreise; however, it was with his first concerts and recordings with the English collaborative pianist Gerald Moore that his international fame began to spread. Together, the two of them recorded every song of Schubert, Schumann, and Wolf (excluding those few that are generally reserved for the female voice) and considerable portions of those by Brahms, Strauss, Loewe, and Beethoven. This catalogue of repertoire is impressive for its sheer size, and even more so for its consistent excellence; while opinions have sometimes diverged on the subjective merits of Fischer-Dieskau's voice, there is no question that his performances of lieder represented the perfect wedding of poetry and lyricism -- the very essence of the lied. While his collaboration with Gerald Moore was singular in its productivity, Fischer-Dieskau was by no means a "one-pianist" man. His work with accompanist Jörg Demus represents an impressive catalogue of its own, and he made memorable appearances and recordings with many other leading musicians, such as Alfred Brendel, Vladimir Horowitz, Daniel Barenboim, and Sviatoslav Richter. Also, his repertoire was by no means limited to works of the Romantic masters; he has championed the works of lesser-known composers, such as Othmar Schoeck. His cumulative body of recorded performances is stunning, perhaps best illustrated by the number of pieces of which his discography contains multiple (sometimes as many as four!) performances. A number of composers wrote works for him, the most notable of which is Benjamin Britten (Songs and Proverbs of William Blake), whose War Requiem the baritone also premiered in 1962.
Certainly Fischer-Dieskau is best characterized by his performances of works for voice and piano, in which his imagination, musicianship, and vocal timbre were showcased to the fullest. However, he made equal strides in the realm of orchestral lieder; his performances of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Rückert Lieder, and Kindertotenlieder are some of the finest on record. Other works he performed with orchestra included the Michelangelo Sonnets of Dmitri Shostakovich, Brahms' German Requiem, and numerous cantatas of Bach and Telemann.
© TiVo
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Hindemith: A Requiem "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd"
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Brigitte Fassbaender, Chor Der Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Symphoniker, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Classical - Released by Orfeo on 1 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Winterreise
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1985
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No.1 In D Major; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelik
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jul 1996
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Winterreise, Op. 89, D. 911 (Live)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Maurizio Pollini
Classical - Released by Orfeo on 28 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 26 Aug 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Schubert : Winterreise (Prades 1955)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore
Lieder (German) - Released by INA Mémoire vive on 27 May 2005
The Qobuz Ideal Discography4 étoiles du Monde de la Musique10 de Classica-RépertoireDiapason d'orTimbre de platine16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jörg Demus
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 26 Aug 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: The Song Cycles - Die schöne Müllerin, Winterreise & Schwanengesang
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1972
The first set was as good as it gets, the second set was even better, and the third set is best of all. Of course, this is impossible. Dietrich Fische ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler : Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen & Kindertotenlieder - Wolf : Lieder (Diapason n°586)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Otto Ackermann / Rudolf Kempe / Gerald Moore
Art Songs, Mélodies & Lieder - Released by Les Indispensables de Diapason on 28 Nov 2009
Diapason d'or16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert : Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Sviatoslav Richter
Lieder (German) - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1978
The Qobuz Ideal Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Die schöne Magelone, Op. 33
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jörg Demus
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 26 Aug 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: La Passion selon saint Matthieu, extraits (Mono Version)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Münchener Bach-Orchester, Karl Richter
Classical - Released by BnF Collection on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: Gedichte von J.W. v. Goethe (Live)
Classical - Released by Orfeo on 23 May 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert : Winterreise
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Alfred Brendel
Lieder (German) - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Winterreise
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jörg Demus
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hugo Wolf : Mörike-Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Sviatoslav Richter
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1975
The Qobuz Ideal DiscographyDiapason d'or16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Vier ernste Gesänge; Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jörg Demus
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Lieder
Classical - Released by The Golden Legacy of Music on 2 Dec 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hartmut Höll
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -