Search - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Maria von Weber :: Rita Streich - The Viennese Nightingale

The Essential Coloratura Album

Abel | Hong Kong | 02/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The artistry of Rita Streich presented in this multi-disc set represents an art that in all likelihood would not return: the Viennese school of coloratura and lyrical singing.

Together with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Rita Streich studied voice with Maria Ivogun, a great coloratura soprano of the German-Austro school. Together with her colleague, Streich excelled in the Viennese-style coloratura singing. This album presents her wide range of repertoire from Austro-German to French to Italian opera; from classical opera to romantic Strauss operetta; from lieder to folk songs.

What this album does NOT include is Streich's Russian repertoire, some thing that, owing to her maternal descent, she was most adept at.

Unlike Schwarzkopf, Streich owned a voice that is out-right lyrical. It is even lighter, even more agile, even more silvery, though not as forceful as Schwarzkopf's on demand. Listen to her delightful "Bastien und Bastienne", her Mozart concert arias and enjoy her highly articulated, musically refined delivery. It is the exemplary Viennese singing. Her soubrettes as well as lyrical heroines are nothing short of being superb.

Not being as internationalised a singer as Schwarzkopf, Streich nonetheless was a representative figure of Viennese coloratura singing. Some times I would even feel that her coloratura is even more superior to that of the great dramatic coloratura of the 20th century, Joan Sutherland, again a very much more internationalised singer than Streich.

If you are undergoing voice training, this box set is essential."