Search - Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Franz [Vienna] Schubert :: Lieder of Brahms, Schubert, Schumann

Passionate singing

Laura Fleming | East Providence, RI United States | 03/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Waltraud Meier is a dramatic mezzo-soprano with the kind of voice that you either love or hate immediately but that you don't forget easily. Born in Germany, her German diction is excellent and she seems at home in the repertoire. At times, her performance might strike some as too operatic for such an intimate program but the singing is never boring. The Schumann cycle is at the heart of the disc and Meier will tug at your heaartstrings without ever resorting to oversentimentality. The Brahms Gypsy songs are sensual and are sung with abandon. Schubert's "Lied der Mignon" is haunting; Meier's Mignon is indeed a woman shattered by her betrayed love. Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" tells its own story; Meier sings with two voices here and captures both parts so well that even without a translation, the listener could easily distinguish the voices of Death and the young girl. Occasionally, Meier's powerful instrument nearly overwhelms the piano--but few singers achieve her level of drama and poise. Well worth hearing."

Waltraud Meier sings Brahms, Schubert, and Schumann

Elizabeth Wallace | Framingham, Massachusetts | 11/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Absolute bliss. What more can one say? MeierLieder of Brahms, Schubert, Schumann is the quintessential interpreter of the German repertoire."