Search - Hermann Prey, Benno Kusche, Johann Sebastian Bach :: The Very Best of Brigitte Fassbaender

A brilliant retrospective

Emma de Soleil | On a holiday In Ibiza, then back to the UK for stu | 12/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here we have a mezzo who was equally brilliant in the florid and dramatic style and who also sang Kunstlieder. Her recordings of Sacred Works might not be as famous as Ferrier's or Baker's but that doesn't mean she isn't as amazing. Her Eboli, Carmen, Charlotte, Rosina and many others are gems among the more famous recordings of her rivals. Her Charlotte is more stylistic and French than Obraszowa's, her Carmen has more esprit than Larmore's and so forth. Her interpretations of "Die Post" and other Lieder are little gems. Buy this album and discover a brilliant mezzo who is sadly underrated nowadays."

Redisovering a great Schubert singer

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first CD in this two-fer is mostly Bach and Handel, the second CD mostly Schubert (17 lieder). Fassbaender was eminent in both areas, as well as on the oepra stage, but as she grew older she concentrated entirely on liedersinging. She was never as famous as Christa Ludwig, the other Austro-German mezzo of greatness at the time. Their voices are in stark contrast: Ludwig was soft, warm, and smiling (she had a hard time being convincingly tragic), while Fassbaender's was plaintive, sharply focused, and rarely smiling. There's a peculiar glint in her timbre that's almost metallic.



Leaving tone aside, she has great intelligence and acuity in lieder. Her Schubert isn't soft and gentle but dramatic and incisive. Eight lieder here are miscellaneous 'great hits' with Erik Werbe, the other nine are from Winterreise with Fassbaender's long-time accompanist Aribert Reimann, who's playing fits her style more closely. All these readings are intense, and although female versions of Winterreise are rare (Ludwig has a fine autumnal one with James Levine at the piano on DG), Fassbaender is thrilling and her voice suitably dark and tragic. I'd rate this her finest Schubert on disc, recor4ded early enough that she hadn't become overly intense and hectoring, which happens on some of her late recordings. Highly recommended."

An excellent selection from one of the finest mezzos of the

L. E. Cantrell | Vancouver, British Columbia Canada | 09/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brigitte Fassbaender and Christa Ludwig were the shining exemplars of the German school of mezzo-soprano singing in the stereo era. They represented the extreme ends of the range covered by that school. Of the two, I usually prefer Ludwig, but that is purely a matter of personal and quite idiosyncratic taste.



This fine collection demonstrates Fassbaender's excellence and consistency, as well as the wide range of her musical forays.



Fassbaender never quite achieved the international fame of Ludwig, but even so, her discography is extensive. This set will serve as a convenient overview of a major talent. Grab it while you can."