# Vocal music: what have you been listening to?



## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

There are similar threads in the Opera and Religious Music sections, so this thread is a new ongoing thread for other vocal music.

Here's what I listened to last night:











*Schubert: Winterreise D911*

Thomas Quasthoff (bass baritone), Charles Spencer (piano)


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

A good idea. but bear in mind the Vocal Forum doesn't get that many visitors. If you don't want this thread to disappear without trace, you might ask one of the moderators to pin it.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

True, there is relatively little activity in this section. I'm hoping to liven things up a little bit.


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## marlow (11 mo ago)

Handel Solomon / McCreesh

what a wonderful work!


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## Wigmar (7 mo ago)

'Die Sterne' D 939, Dietrich Fischer-dieskau, baryton & Sviatoslav Richter, piano. 
It was a video on Youtube where they also performed some other Lieder of Schubert.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

I found a recording with about 30 Schubert lieder, with Ian Bostridge. I didn't like them as much as I hoped I would, but they were all right.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)




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## Wigmar (7 mo ago)

In addition to Bostridge / Andsnes, you might well listen to some recordings with Fischer-dieskau / Moore, as


SanAntone said:


>


Perhaps you might listen to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, he was a true master as to portray the schubertian athmosphere, as in recordings of e. g. 'An die Musik', D 547, 'An Sylvia' D 891, 'Die Sterne' 939, all included on the same lp record, EMI XLP 30095, recorded c 1957 and later transferred to compact disc.


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## Wigmar (7 mo ago)

Wigmar said:


> In addition to Bostridge / Andsnes, you might well listen to some recordings with Fischer-dieskau / Moore, as
> 
> Perhaps you might listen to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, he was a true master as to portray the schubertian athmosphere, as in recordings of e. g. 'An die Musik', D 547, 'An Sylvia' D 891, 'Die Sterne' 939, all included on the same lp record, EMI XLP 30095, recorded c 1957 and later transferred to compact disc.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Wigmar said:


> In addition to Bostridge / Andsnes, you might well listen to some recordings with Fischer-dieskau / Moore, as
> 
> Perhaps you might listen to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, he was a true master as to portray the schubertian athmosphere, as in recordings of e. g. 'An die Musik', D 547, 'An Sylvia' D 891, 'Die Sterne' 939, all included on the same lp record, EMI XLP 30095, recorded c 1957 and later transferred to compact disc.


I have listened to plenty of Fischer-Dieskau (I have his complete boxes of the lieder recordings of Schubert, Wolf, and Schumann) and Bostridge, singing most, if not all, of the other composers they have sung. Vocal music of all kinds, occupies the bulk of my classical music listening.  Perhaps it is you who should listen to some Copland.


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## Wigmar (7 mo ago)

SanAntone said:


> I have listened to plenty of Fischer-Dieskau (I have his complete boxes of the lieder recordings of Schubert, Wolf, and Schumann) and Bostridge, singing most, if not all, of the other composers they have sung. Vocal music of all kinds, occupies the bulk of my classical music listening.  Perhaps it is you who should listen to some Copland.


Perhaps 🙂, I am so wowen into Beethoven, Schubert abd Schumann Lieder, I have a 'Gesamtaufgabe' of all Schubert Lieder with Fischer-Dieskau & Moore, and also some older recordings with baryton Gérard Souzay & pianist Jacqueline Bonneau, very good performances indeed, issued on Testament (cd SBT 1313) and on 'Hamburger Archiv für Gesangkunst' / Gérard Souzay Edition 1-2 🎼


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## Wigmar (7 mo ago)

Wigmar said:


> Perhaps 🙂, I am so wowen into Beethoven, Schubert abd Schumann Lieder, I have a 'Gesamtaufgabe' of all Schubert Lieder with Fischer-Dieskau & Moore, and also some older recordings with baryton Gérard Souzay & pianist Jacqueline Bonneau, very good performances indeed, issued on Testament (cd SBT 1313) and on 'Hamburger Archiv für Gesangkunst' / Gérard Souzay Edition 1-2 🎼
> I am sorry for the mess, the picture came twice 🙏


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## Dirge (Apr 10, 2012)

Benjamin BRITTEN: *Serenade for tenor, horn & strings, Op. 31* (1943)
:: Partridge, Busch, Pritchard/LPO [Classics for Pleasure ’74]

Ian Partridge et al offer up a contrasting but complementary alternative to the great 1944 Peter Pears et al recorded account of the Serenade, sacrificing a degree or two (or three) of vocal intensity and drama for that much more tonal beauty and mellifluousness. Partridge (and all other tenors) must yield to Pears in terms of diction and vocal acting/storytelling prowess, but he’s impressively communicative in his less dramatic way. Still, no one puts the text/story across as pointedly and potently as Pears does in 1944; indeed, Pears’ deliberate, bone-chilling account of the “Lyke-Wake Dirge” may well be my favorite interpretation/performance of any single art song. Partridge wisely takes a very different, more flowing approach to the Dirge, propelling the soul along on its journey to purgatory with a sort of uneasy/anxious/near-desperate sweep and momentum. Partridge is best suited to and at his best in the Keats Sonnet, which is beautiful and sublime beyond all other accounts; he’s least effective in the Blake Elegy, which strikes me as being too subdued and low in tension for its own good.

Nicholas Busch’s playing is wholly proficient and well-characterized throughout, and he produces a rich, full, slightly ripe tone—not as polished and brilliant as some, but no less likable for that. He demonstrates a close rapport with Partridge, toning down intensity a bit, I suspect, to match the singer’s kinder, gentler mindset here. Likewise, John Pritchard and the strings of the LPO prove beautifully like-minded and sympathetic partners, though I’d have preferred a smaller and more focused complement of strings; that said, conductor and recording team and venue conspire to accommodate the copious strings of the LPO well on the whole.

Despite my reservations, this is my favorite post-1944 account of the Serenade on record—beauty covers a multitude of sins. The recorded sound is good 1970s analog stereo, with a natural concert hall perspective, deftly judged instrumental balances, and a nice resonant bloom to the sound. The sound isn’t especially clean and transparent, highs aren’t especially extended, and lows are a wee bit fulsome and woolly, but it’s all very easy on the ear.


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## 4chamberedklavier (12 mo ago)

I'm currently going through all of Bach's cantatas (c/o of this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr5RRQC6c-2gOwHzEuOyD5qWEO8zIVKWz)

I'm new to vocal music, so they weren't that appealing at first, but I'm already getting used to it.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

4chamberedklavier said:


> I'm currently going through all of Bach's cantatas (c/o of this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr5RRQC6c-2gOwHzEuOyD5qWEO8zIVKWz)


Well, that will keep you occupied for a while.  

Many years ago, my mother gave me a nearly complete set of the cantatas on CD. I listened to them all many times, and eventually came up with a subset of my favorites. Somewhere on the forum, I saw a thread about favorite cantatas, too.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)




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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

*Per Nørgård* | _Fons laetitiae_ (Lat. hymns), S/T, hp/lute, 1975


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

The St John Passion


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## LeoPiano (Nov 1, 2020)

Schubert: Winterreise

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jorg Demus, 1966

This is the “perfect” recording of Winterreise for me. I love the pacing, D F-D sings with feeling without being mannered, and Demus’s playing is wonderful.


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## Dirge (Apr 10, 2012)

Benjamin BRITTEN: *Canticle II “Abraham and Isaac,” Op. 51* (1952)
:: Procter, Pears & Britten [Decca ’57]

This 16-minute work was written for Ferrier, but she died before a recording could be made—though there are rumors of a lost BBC broadcast recording. Britten chose Procter as a replacement, and this one-off 1957 mono recording was the result. It was to be coupled with Canticles I & III on LP, but the project was delayed when Brain died before a recording of Canticle III could be made. When the project came up again, Britten decided to re-record “Abe & Ike” (in stereo) with Pears and boy alto John Hahessy and use that recording instead; this Procter recording remained in the can until 2001.

I have nothing major against the Hahessy recording, but this one is stunningly good, with Procter being the most compelling Isaac I’ve heard on disc. (As much as I like Ferrier, I can’t imagine her being any better in the part.) Curiously, Procter sounds more like a male than Hahessy does, and her singing is much more technically secure and just plain musical. She’s also a more formidable and complementary match to Pears, and their God episodes (where the two voices singing together represent God) are magical. Pears, too, is in better voice than he would be for the remake, while Britten is his usual expert self at the piano. Although there are plenty of good and proficient recordings (most using a countertenor for Isaac) of this unusual work, I find none of them to be nearly as well acted and compellingly told as this one.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

Heard this today on VivaLaVoce:

*Emilio de Cavalieri*
*Rappresentatione di anima et di corpo (The Representation of the Soul and the Body)*


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

*GOLIJOV*: _Ayre_
Dawn Upshaw


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## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

What I listened to yesterday. Rosy Wertheim: _Le tzigane dans la lune_ (1916). For soprano, violin and piano. I could have just posted an audio recording of this, but if you skip to 1:30 you can see the performance. Or just watch the whole thing. The intro is in French.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

Chat Noir said:


> What I listened to yesterday. Rosy Wertheim: _Le tzigane dans la lune_ (1916). For soprano, violin and piano. I could have just posted an audio recording of this, but if you skip to 1:30 you can see the performance. Or just watch the whole thing. The intro is in French.


This is something that I would not ordinarily hear on the radio stations that I listen to. I like it. Thank you for posting it here.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

A little bit of early music this evening for me:


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## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

Alexander Zemlinsky - Gesänge op.13 : no4. _Als ihr Geliebter schied_ (when her lover departs). The soprano is Katrien Baerts.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

I was listening to this on hoopla today. I don't know why I keep borrowing this one. I like it less and less every time I hear it. 😐


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

20 years ago a friend of mine took me to the Barbican to see David Daniels singing most of this programe of Vivaldi Sacred Music with Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante. Up until that time I hadn't much liked the countertenor voice. Nor did I really have much time for the music of the Baroque. All that changed at this concert and I bought the CD there and then. I even got it signed by Daniels and Biondi. After that I rarely missed any of Daniels' appearances in the UK and I have many of his recordings, but this was my first and I still love it.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)




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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Our (high school) first choir concert of the year is this Friday evening.

Because of the pandemic we're down to only three choirs: Concert, Advanced Treble, and Chamber. Last semester's Beginning Choir was folded into the Concert Choir, and the semester before that we lost our Men's Ensemble. The year before that we lost our Beginning Women's Choir. The choir teacher now teaches three Guitar classes in their place.

*The Concert Choir* sings last in the program, and we're singing, Funk's arrangement of *Shennandoah*, *The Storm Is Passing Over*, and *The Time Warp*.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

What we are offered here is a reconstruction of Solemn Vespers for the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, such as Vivaldi might have performed at the convent church of San Lorenzo or the Chiesa della Salute in Venice.

Very fine performances.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Three different versions of Mottl's orchestration of Wagner's _Wesendonck LIeder_.

The Baker disc is something of a classic. One might not naturally associate Baker with Wagner, but these are warmly expressive performances and the Brahms and Strauss songs are just as beautiful.

Baltsa's tangily Mediterranean voice might not be to everyone's taste but I rather like it. The orchestral contributions under Jeffrey Tate are excellent and I also enjoy Baltsa's version of the Berlioz.

Anne Evans is the one true Wagnerian, having sung Brünnhilde at Bayreuth under Barenboim. This performance is a live one from the 1994 Proms and the couplings are Brünnhilde's _Immolation Scene, _as well as orchestral music from *Götterdämmerung *with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Tadaaki Otaka.


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

I'm lying in bed listening to this. It's very beautiful.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

I was listening to this the other night. It's one of my favorites.


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## LeoPiano (Nov 1, 2020)

Comparing 3 classic versions of Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder:




























All 3 are so different yet they are each wonderful in their own ways.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

I found this on hoopla. It's not my absolute favorite collection of Schubert songs, but I like it well enough to keep borrowing it occasionally.










I tend to like Padmore, Quasthoff and Bostridge. I'm not so fond of Goerne and Fischer-Dieskau.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

BBC Four - Winter Journey: Schubert's Winterreise


Schubert's song cycle Winterreise reimagined in the wintry setting of an Alpine landscape.




www.bbc.co.uk




WE are watching this later.
Source BBC four


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

Rogerx said:


> BBC Four - Winter Journey: Schubert's Winterreise
> 
> 
> Schubert's song cycle Winterreise reimagined in the wintry setting of an Alpine landscape.
> ...


Interesting! It's a shame that I can't seem to watch it from here in the U.S. 😢


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Mister Meow said:


> Interesting! It's a shame that I can't seem to watch it from here in the U.S. 😢


It's on You Tube, just put in his name and voila.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Most of this wonderful disc is taken up by vocal music, the centrepiece being the hauntingly desolate _The Curlew_ in a superb performance by Ian Partridge with the Music Group of London, but all of it is worth hearing.


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

I happened to catch this song on VivaLaVoce today. I'm not usually a big fan of Brahms, but I sure like this song.

Der Gang zum Liebchen


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

This has been on the player every day. 🎄


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

now listening to:


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

I've been listening to some Schubert lieder today, from an album with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake. This is one of them:


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Mister Meow said:


> I've been listening to some Schubert lieder today, from an album with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake. This is one of them:


That disc is out of this world, Bostridge has a fresh voice , great interpretation. Must have for Schubert fans.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

This is a fantastic issue that brings together all Scwharzkopf's stereo Wolf recordings with Gerald Moore at the piano. It gains on most recent reissues of classic recitals in including full texts and translations, absolutely vital in the songs of Wolf, and even more so here, given the specificity of Schwarzkopf's response to the texts. I'm not sure I can think of any other singer, who could sustain my interest over two and a half hours of Wolf songs, but Schwarzkopf certainly does. 

There are so many superb performances here, but the stand out for me is that of _Kennst du das Land, _which has an intensity and yearning I've never quite heard in any other. 

The voice is surpassingly beautiful throughout, but also has a range of colour and expression that is quite extraordinary.


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## Mark Time (8 d ago)

LeoPiano said:


> Schubert: Winterreise
> 
> Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jorg Demus, 1966
> 
> ...


The thing that sets this team apart for me is great rhythm and dynamics. But they are great at so many things.


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