Franz Liszt - Lieder (Diana Damrau; Helmut Deutsch)

Information

Composer: Franz Liszt

1. Der Fischerknabe
2. Im Rhein, im schönen Strome
3. Die Loreley
4. Die drei Zigeuner
5. Es war ein König in Thule
6. Ihr Glocken von Marling
7. Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh
8. Der du von dem Himmel bist
9. Three Petrarch Sonnets: Benedetto sia 'l giorno
10. Three Petrarch Sonnets: Pace non trovo
11. Three Petrarch Sonnets: I' vidi in terra angelici costumi
12. Freudvoll und leidvoll (version 1)
13. Vergiftet sind meine Lieder
14. Freudvoll und leidvoll (version 2)
15. Es rauschen die Winde
16. Die stille Wasserrose
17. Bist du!
18. Es muss ein Wunderbares sein
19. O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst

Diana Damrau, soprano

Helmut Deutsch, piano

Date: 2011

Label: Virgin Classics

https://www.warnerclassics.com/release/liszt-songs

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Review

“His Lieder with piano accompaniment should not be brushed aside as mere trivialities.” Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau talking about Liszt

After her successful release of Richard Strauss orchestral songs soprano Diana Damrau with pianist Helmut Deutsch now turn to Franz Liszt Lieder. On Virgin Classics the disc was released in late 2011 the year of the bicentenary of Liszt’s birth. With this programme Damrau was “keen to keep Lieder in sharp focus” and explains how she likes to include Liszt songs in her recital programmes. I couldn’t agree more with the Bavarian soprano when she explains that Lieder recitals are becoming rare. I can attend around forty recitals annually and in the last four years only three of them have been vocal recitals; evidence for me that Lieder is in danger of becoming a dying art. In Lieder programmes it is usually Schubert; Schumann; Richard Strauss; Mahler; Wolf and Brahms that is generally heard today with Liszt much less so. Yet Liszt’s Lieder was more than a mere sideline to his huge compositional output as he took the composition of his songs really seriously. Although not always making an immediately impact for those willing to concentrate Liszt’s songs offer their many rewards after repeated listening.

Through Liszt’s Lieder it is possible to chart the development of his compositional style from illustrative tone painting to a more economical form of expression for his love of literature. Mostly using German verse Liszt set some eighty Lieder which accounts for around ten-percent of his vast corpus of works. A check on the compositional dates reveals that the Liszt settings chosen by Damrau are predominantly from Liszt’s so called ‘Virtuoso Period’ (1839-47). Damrau’s selections are settings of Liszt’s favourite, mainly German poets namely Goethe; Heine and Schiller and other nationalities such as Lenau the German language Hungary/Austrian poet and the Italian Francesco Petrarca.

Diana Damrau and her pianist Helmut Deutsch are in remarkable form in this Liszt Lieder recital. The whole programme is entirely convincing with the soprano conveying a belief of every single word of the texts. Frequently the piano line in these settings is just as complex, intense and as interesting as the vocal part which is not surprising given Liszt renown as a virtuoso pianist and Helmut Deutsch proves himself a truly outstanding interpreter. I especially enjoyed Damrau’s dramatic and serious performance of the highly romantic song of unreciprocated love Pace non trovo (I find no peace). This is one of the early Three Patrarch Sonnets better known as a set of piano pieces from the suite Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage). The Goethe setting Es war ein König in Thule relating a king’s love for a treasured gold goblet displays Damrau capacity for strong tonal contrasts and generates considerable drama. If Liszt’s songs typically lack a degree of melodic memorability this is certainly not the case with the wonderful final song of the collection O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst (O love as long as you can). This song, a setting of verse from Ferdinand Freiligrath, expressing the intense pain of love is better known in its later adaptation into the celebrated piano piece the Liebesträume No.3 (Dreams of Love). The beautiful melody and deeply poignant mood suits Damrau’s cherishable smooth and creamy timbre so perfectly.

Damrau and Deutsch are beautifully recorded in the splendid acoustic of the August Everding Saal, Grünwald; located just south of Munich. The booklet notes are interesting and informative and thankfully full texts and English translations are included. This release of Liszt Lieder from Diana Damrau on Virgin Classics should not be missed. I hope that a recording of some Mahler Lieder is not far way.

-- Michael Cookson, MusicWeb International

More reviews:

https://www.allmusic.com/album/liszt-lieder-mw0002228490

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/album-reviews/diana-damrau-soprano-helmut-deutsch-piano-1.16938

https://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Songs-Diana-Damrau/dp/B005FI6I4O

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Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a prolific 19th-century Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, and music teacher. Liszt gained renown in Europe for his virtuosic skill as a pianist and in the 1840s he was considered to be the greatest pianist of all time. As a composer, Liszt was one of the most prominent composers of the "New German School". Some of his most notable musical contributions were the invention of the symphonic poem, developing the concept of thematic transformation as part of his experiments in musical form, and making radical departures in harmony.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Liszt

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Diana Damrau (born 31 May 1971) is a German soprano. She studied with Carmen Hanganu in Würzburg, and worked with Hanna Ludwig in Salzburg. Damrau had been successful in coloratura soprano roles, admired as the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Since the early 2010s, she has gradually proceeded into 19th-century Italian bel canto repertoire, taking up roles such as Violetta in La traviata and the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor. Damrau is also known as a lieder singer. Since 2007 she has had an exclusive recording contract with EMI/Virgin (now Warner Classics).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Damrau

https://diana-damrau.com/

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Helmut Deutsch (born 24 December 1945 in Vienna) is an Austrian classical pianist, specialising in chamber music and lieder accompaniment. He studied piano, composition and musicology at the Vienna Music Academy from 1967 until 1979, and was professor for lied interpretation and performance at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München from 1986 until 2011. He also gives master classes throughout Europe and in Japan. During his career, Deutsch has collaborated with such prominent singers as Irmgard Seefried, Hermann Prey, Matthias Goerne, Hans Hotter, and his former student Jonas Kaufmann.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Deutsch

https://helmutdeutsch.at/

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