Search - Gustav Mahler, Alexander Zemlinsky, NDR-Sinfonieorchester :: Anne Sofie von Otter - Mahler & Zemlinsky Lieder / Gardiner

Mahler and this mezzo were made for each other.

Bob Zeidler | Charlton, MA United States | 12/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Member-review brief descriptions being what they are, there simply wasn't room for me to write "Buy this album for `Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen' and enjoy the rest of it for free." In a phrase, that is exactly how I feel about this release, not that the whole album on balance is less than outstanding, but that this particular Rückert lied by Mahler is simply one of the finest things he ever wrote, and Anne Sofie von Otter is without equal in performing it.



Over his composing career, Mahler wrote a number of song cycles based on themes having common threads, and songs from some of these made their appearances, whether altered slightly or greatly, in a number of his symphonies (most particularly the Des Knaben Wunderhorn songs in the early, or "Wunderhorn," symphonies). In contrast, the Rückert-Lieder (1902) were composed not as a conscious cycle, but rather were settings of Rückert poems which individually had struck resonant chords with Mahler's compositional psyche. To these poems he provided his finest settings of all, chamber-like in their intimacy and use of reduced orchestral forces, at the same time a distillation of all that Mahler had been before and a tantalizing preview of what he was yet to become in his final, greatest, works, most importantly his 9th Symphony. And, of the five lieder, "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" ("I have taken leave of the world" or "I have lost touch with the world") is in a class by itself.



There is in this lied everything of importance ever to be associated with the details of Mahler's style, and it touches on each of these details with a clarity, and in a way, as if to say, "Listen to me, and you will come to know and understand everything necessary about my musical persona." The connection with the famous Adagietto of his 5th Symphony is transparent; the tonal ambiguities of the major-minor enharmonic shifts are everywhere; the feeling of great repose, and leave-taking, is clear not only in the title but is present everywhere in the melodic thread. The instrumental setting is almost beyond description in its melting beauty, particularly Mahler's use of the oboe d'amore. And Anne Sofie von Otter provides the mezzo voice of our age, the perfect instrument for Mahler lieder. For all the versions of this lied I've heard over the years, only Dame Janet Baker, with Sir John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra, on an EMI "Great Recording of the Century," comes close to matching von Otter. But nevertheless falls short.



The rest of the album is equally fine, and the coupling of Zemlinsky's "Six Songs to Poems by Maurice Maeterlinck" provides an ideal opportunity to discover this contemporary of Mahler's (and teacher of Mahler's wife), if only to gauge the extent to which late German romanticism just prior to the 2nd Viennese School schism was not "all of a piece." Zemlinsky's musical language differs somewhat more than subtly from Mahler's, being somewhat more closely aligned with late Strauss or early Korngold, but well worth the visit regardless.



In all of this, surprisingly sympathetic support comes from a most unusual source. John Eliot Gardiner, known principally for his authentic-instrument Baroque performances, and, more recently, his forays into the early romanticism of Berlioz and Schumann, provides finely-pointed direction of the NDR-Sinfonieorchester. And the recording quality is just fine, with the right amount of bloom around the orchestra without in the slightest affecting the instrumental clarity so necessary in these lieder.



I acquired this album, truthfully, to see what all the fuss about von Otter as a Mahlerian was about. Now I know. Quite simply the Mahler mezzo of our time. With a performance of "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" to die for. I wasn't disappointed. And, while I don't necessarily think it to be a good practice to recommend an album based on a single track, in this case, I don't think you will be disappointed, either.



Bob Zeidler"

At the Risk of Saying "Me Too..."......Me Too!

DAVID A. FLETCHER | Richmond, Va United States | 08/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I won't pretend to be as eloquent as Bob was in his earlier review, but suffice it to say that it was that very recommendation that enticed me to give this disc a try. I'm only a recent von Otter convert (now WHERE have I been?!), but am also a long-time Mahler fan, and have always considered the "5 Rueckert-Lieder" to be an indispensable part of any serious orchestral lieder collection, let alone Mahler library. Likewise, I join the ranks of many listeners who are "rediscovering for the first time" the incredible output of Alexander Zemlinsky. If your own sampling only includes the "Lyric Symphony" and a handful of the tone poems, then please add the "Maeterlinck Lieder" to your shopping list. They're more Mahlerian than Straussian, pay off handsome dividends from repeated listening, and deserve a more prominent position in the concert repetoire.But, back to the disc at hand. Yes, Bob....this recording is worth the price for von Otter's rendition of "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" alone! Count the times you've casually had a recording on at home, perhaps while reading, and then becoming suddenly transfixed by what you're hearing. The music, the performer, the sound... all coming together in such a way as to make inattention impossible. This really is superb artistry in every way; put it right up there with Dame Janet Baker singing Schubert (or the very same Mahler!), or Jessye Norman's reading of Strauss' "Four Last Songs." At the close of "Ich bin der Welt...", I found myself lost in thought, with not a few tears. The balance of the readings presented are of an equally high level. Outstanding.A final word about John Eliot Gardiner and the NDR Orchestra. I don't know what your plans are, John, but please! Don't let this be your final outing with Mahler! The orchestral cushion provided for Ms. von Otter is terrific, sensitively pointed and musically synched to every turn of phrase. It's an old reviewer's cliche to say this, but..."This is a disc to which I'll return with great pleasure.""

Of Meadow Saffrons and Roses...

Pater Ecstaticus | Norway | 10/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We have the classic performances of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Ruckertlieder by Dame Janet Baker with Sir John Barbirolli, which are lush and done in broad colorful strokes on a wide emotional canvas. These songs under these artists are like a lush and colorful garden with all kinds of the most beautiful English roses in full and extravagant bloom; ravishing beauty.

And now we have these freshly pointed and finely colored performances by Anne Sofie von Otter with the NDR-Sinfonieorchester under Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Now, these are different interpretations. There are somewhat more understated colors here. But the emotion is there, alright! Anne Sofie von Otter, with her acute intellect, probes deeply into the many emotions of these complex songs, but also gives them a warm human core as well. One has to listen more carefully, because the artists here approach this music in a more refined and reserved way - without, I hasten to say, loosing any of the deeper meanings and emotions. Under these artists, these songshere are a collection of meadow saffrons in a shaded forrest, constantly touched by the the play of light and shadow falling through te canopy; unadorned, pure beauty.

Anne Sofie von Otter is able to offer the widest range of emotions and tone-colors while at the same time never loosing an intelligent grip. Therefore she may to some never sounds as 'humanly involved' as, for example, Dame Janet Baker. This may all have to do with the characteristics of a certain timbre or voice or with certain singing-techniques, but in the end what counts is how we as listeners feel the emotions. And every and any emotion can be colored in an infinite number of ways, depending the situation...

Both are legitimate views of these songs, and both are just as beautiful, because, in the end, when dealing with artists of this stature, the beginning and end of judging which might be the best performance is all a matter of different moods and tastes. Sometimes I want to stroll around the garden to revel in the ravishing beauty of the roses and sometimes I need a more contemplative walk through the forest to enjoy the slender meadow saffrons.

By the way, Zemlinsky's 'Maeterlink-Gesaenge' are here given freshly pointed performances as well, where von Otters voice is allowed to bloom to the full, perfectly matching the hauntingly melancholic mood of these Late-Romantic songs. I think this specific performance of these six songs can hold pride of place beside (or maybe they are even better than) the lush performance by Jard van Nes and the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest under Riccardo Chailly.

A wonderful album."