Search - Kirsten Flagstad, Walter, Mcarthur :: Volume 4

One of opera's legendary figures sings lieder.

darragh o'donoghue | 08/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Norwegian Kirsten Flagstad was the pre-eminent Wagnerian soprano of the 20th century, but she also gave hundreds of lieder and song recitals, the pick of which bejewel this ravishing double CD. the first offers three complete song-cycles, Grieg's rippling 'Haugtussa', all pastoral maidens and brooks, Flagstad singing as light as a breeze; Wagner's 'Wesendonck-Lieder', that ghost of his masterpiece 'Tristan and Isolde', my favourite lieder cycle - this is the best interpretation I have ever heard, passionate, yearning and, in 'Im Treibhaus' and 'Traume', genuinely spine-tingling. Sibelius' enchanting songs complete the CD, with 'The Maiden's Tryst' unexpectedly lush and romantic.The second disc of Anglo-American songs may be less demanding, but are no less delightful. Highlights include Landan Ronald's operettish 'O Lovely Night', Frank Bridge's rollicking 'Love Went A-Riding', Bax's hushed 'The White Peace', Elgar's hymn-like tribute to his vocation 'Speak Music', Delius' rapturous 'Love's Philosophy', as well as a tantalisingly muffled 1937 recording of Stephen Foster's 'Old Folks at Home'. There are also no less than four lullabies, which attests to the Victorian hangover on bourgeois tastes in the middle of the last century. Most of these recordings date from the 1950s, so the sound is relatively clear, and if Flagstad is past her operatic prime, her ability to express intense passion with an imperiously cool technique would put most modern singers to shame. her regular accompanist, Edwin McArthur, is a model of self-effacement, quietly playful and inventive in the background. My only complaint is that, at this price, surely a lyric sheet could have been provided. There is, however, a fascinating biographical piece, detailing, amongst other things, the soprano's dubious wartime conduct."