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
-
Brahms: A German Requiem, Op. 45
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1991
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Dec 10, 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
Opera - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on Jan 8, 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
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1963
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
R. Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder & Orchestral Lieder
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 1, 1998
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Song Recital
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Edwin Fischer
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Operetta
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Perfect Prima Donna
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 21, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Deutsche Volkslieder, WoO 33
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1966
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler : Symphony No.2 'Resurrection'
Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Hilde Rössl-Majdan
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: Italian Song Book
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Aug 30, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Richard Strauss
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jul 29, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Seven Songs - Mozart: Concert Arias
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1969
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
More Songs You Love (The Christmas Album)
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Nov 29, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 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 -
Richard Strauss: Don Juan, Tod und Verklärung, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche & Vier letzte Lieder
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Ackermann, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Praga Digitals on Feb 1, 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Songs You Love
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Aug 30, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Mozart
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Sep 16, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Deutsche Volkslieder
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 6, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Eberhard Wächter, Dame Joan Sutherland, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Carlo Maria Giulini, Philharmonia Orchestra
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on Jul 1, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Closing Scene from "Capriccio" & Four Last Songs
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo