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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Symphonie n° 4 - Lieder
Otto Klemperer, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 1, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stille Nacht
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 17, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart : Così fan tutte
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1963
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Aug 4, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hugo Wolf Recital - Salzburg, 12/08/1953
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 22, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Songs You Love
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jul 3, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Song Book, Vol. 1
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Nov 1, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár: Die Lustige Witwe
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jul 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Giuseppe Taddei, Fiorenza Cossotto
Opera - Released by Past Classics on Jan 11, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Kathleen Ferrier, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Wiener Symphoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 16, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn
George Szell, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, London Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on May 16, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Scenes from Arabella, Op. 79
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Aug 30, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert : Lieder
Lieder (German) - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 2, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
An Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Song Book, Vol. 3
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Geoffrey Parsons
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Nov 1, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Lieder Recital
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Sep 20, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Opera Arias
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Sep 5, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Favourite Scenes and Arias
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Aug 30, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: The Italian Songbook
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1969
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: Goethe-Lieder
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 4, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: Spanish Songbook
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo