Renee Fleming is simply divine. This is, by far, her most accomplished rendering. Glass of Chateau Margot, fireplace crackling, dim lights, and Ms. Fleming last four songs. Heaven is on earth.
Never heard of any 'Château Margot' - but a glass of the real Château Margaux would be perfectly suitable to accompany Die vier letzten Lieder ...hopefully it won't be your last glass to drink.
Gut wrenching and uplifting at the same time. I am 77, my wife is 80 Sooner rather than later this will be one of us. The culmination of Strauss's career.
I understand completely. We are only in our mid-to-late 60's, but it certainly feels different now when we think about our remaining days on earth. It's interesting to contrast Strauss's "take" on death at age 24 with "Death and Transfiguration" and at age 84 with this piece.
Straus's Four Last Songs were the final and crowning achievement of a lifetime of incredible music by one of the greatest geniuses of classical music. In this performance ,the magnificent voice of Renee Fleming, a great orchestra all coming together in an explosion of ecstasy. I never tire of watching it.
these strausses die vier letzte lieder are the most beautiful music on earth. music so divine. and fleming does it so great and pure. its like she's breathing the music. just beautiful and calming. rip my dearest friend.
Perfectly well said. You put your finger on how beautifully tender and with what uncomplicated abandon Renee Fleming sings. This is artistic perfection.
To this piece we said our last farewell to my uncle, who loved classical music with all his heart. This song was played as his friends and family walked by his coffin for the last time. I will always cry, hearing this beautiful piece. Rest in piece, Uncle.
I will never tire of hearing that chord progression at 6:46-6:55 - it always sends shivers down my spine. Renee Fleming is one of the very few singers who can sing opera just as well as Lieder; utterly sublime rendition of one of Strauss's greatest works. Simply heavenly
Oh this is sublime music, sung by a sublime voice and exquisitely played. Renee Fleming is the consummate artist . I'm so glad I discovered this clip. This music makes my cry every time I hear it, no matter where I am or what I am doing. I always feel a better person every time I hear it.
Just beautiful to hear, watch, and ponder what the composer was thinking. Picture the state of Germany following the war plus the composer nearing the end of his life. Ms. Fleming's. voice and expression tell it all. As someone else said, she lives these songs.
How in the name of God could anyone give this a thumbs down? Do you remember the first time you heard 4 last songs? For me it was in an old Mel Gibson movie, The Year of Living Dangerously. It was before the internet and I had to go to the music store, look in a book to see what was in the sound track. I purchased the album and was changed forever.
This is in my opinion the ultimate Im Abenrot. Renée Fleming's unbelievably gifted, powerful rich and sublime voice fills ones heart to it's maximum like no one else has ever managed to achieve.
Il ne faut jamais prétendre qu'un chanteur a la meilleure interpétation d'une oeuvre, car rendus a ce niveau, tous ces chanteurs sont de grands artistes. Ceci dit, je trouve cette interprétation de Renée Flemming très émouvante, elle qui d'ordinaire me laisse froid. Merci a toi Renée!
i think one could say that strauss saved the best for the last; one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written and renee does it justice. i saw her perform it live in tanglewood.
Richard Strauss was a true genius ....there are only a few of these composers who share this genius with him ...... Bach-Mozart-Beethoven- Wagner-Mahler.......His music is pure heaven... and Renee Fleming sings it breathtaking beautiful thx for posting
This is a perfect tempo for this marvelous composition. Renee Fleming was exquisite in her rendition. Heard my favorite soprano Kiri Te Kanawa under George Solti's baton, but it was too fast.
Strauss wrote the four songs separately in 1948, without the intention of being a cycle. He could not attend the premiere in London with Kirsten Flagstad and Furtwängler in May 1950 because he had already died in September 1949. He just wrote one more piece, “Malven”, a song for piano and voice premiered only in 1985 by Kiri Te Kanawa in New York. This rendition is glorious, these songs were an absolute specialty of Fleming. Eschenbach and the orchestra support her in a formidable way, with relaxed tempi, she can breathe and sing, and gives sense to every word. This is how Strauss, an atheist throughout his life, bid farewell to life. He could never find a spiritual sense anywhere, and he even admitted having trouble composing the music of Jochanaan (John the Baptist) in Salome because he needed to instill the music with a holy atmosphere that he could not compose. That said, the poems by Hesse and Eichendorff mostly speak about nature, the cycle of seasons, tiredness, calm, repose, twilight, etc. Lacking any faith, his way of seeing death is truly pagan, basically related to nature, missing any supernatural ingredients. Everything is just earthly, no mention of hope, life after death, resurrection, heaven, God, the spirit, the ancestors… nothing. Thus, the songs are hopeless, deeply nostalgic, even sentimental, but there is no relief, no comfort at all. The listener is left devastated, with little room to find solace elsewhere. It is pure resignation to something inevitable but ultimately miserable. At 7:05 Strauss quotes himself with the seven-note theme of Death and Transfiguration he wrote 60 years earlier, thus proving that he depicted death correctly as a young man (something he apparently confirmed again to his daughter-in-law, Alice, in his death bed).
I love this performance, it's stunning, but I believe you're correct, I have the Jessye Norman on a CD, bought it probably 20 years ago, absolutely divine!
Da radio Amburgo nell'inverno '45 Von Rezzori divulgo' I 4 vier lether come speranza x una rinascita di una diversa Germania,era la prima musica che ascoltavano alla radio dopo la catastrofe, cantava la divina Shvarzekopf.
I adore this piece of music.... saw it performed live at the manchester bridgewater hall and was just in tears by the end of it it was so moving.... truly a spectacular piece!
Actually, I now think she's not less involved. Her interpretation here is a little different from the one in Lucerne. It's in fact much more melancholic, nostalgic, even sort of sad. This was probably her choice, and the slower tempo does seem to contribute to a more intimate, mournful atmosphere. The way she finished the song was very deep, really moving.
We made through strife and wonder Our journey hand in hand; From wandering let us rest now In this peaceful land. Round us the valleys falling, The sky withdrawing light; Two larks alone are calling, And dreaming from the height. Stand here and watch them flutter; Soon will be time to sleep -- So may we never falter Alone in this great deep. O wider, still more peaceful! So deep on evening’s breath. How we are tired from roaming! -- Can this even be death?
And here for our British friends the original lyrics in German: Wir sind durch Not und Freude gegangen Hand in Hand; vom Wandern ruhen wir nun überm stillen Land. Rings sich die Täler neigen, es dunkelt schon die Luft, zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen nachträumend in den Duft. Tritt her und laß sie schwirren, bald ist es Schlafenszeit, daß wir uns nicht verirren in dieser Einsamkeit. O weiter, stiller Friede! So tief im Abendrot. Wie sind wir wandermüde-- Ist dies etwa der Tod? Quite good English translation of the German text. Ms. Fleming is producing woderful sounds, but her German diction, sorry, could still be improved, weil ich sie ohne den Originaltext vor Augen zu haben, sie kaum verstanden habe. Therefore I have posted the original lyrics so you can hear yourself what I mean. Now I have to compare Fleming with Schwarzkopf. Will be intgeresting, I suppose. But one thing I still wonder: who is the conductor whose name has not be indicated?
Brilliant !!! !! Congratulations to the American soprano, Renée Fleming, to the German pianist and conductor Christoph Eschenbach and to the New Philarmonia Orchestra !!! @Gabba02, thanks for sharing this stunning performance with us all !!!
A few things here: if he wanted the orchestra to play with his beat he might have provided a clear preparatory beat - as it is he raises his arms in a gesture and brings them down, gives the ictus, there is no advance warning when that ictus is going to be: of where to play. This gesture gives the *character* of the first note. In order to give the character he wants, the orchestra needs to see the beat first - then respond. Had he given clear click, that would've given a different and not desirable attack to the first note. Orchestras respond very differently to different conductors beats - they know how to function without one and to listen to each other and play to get the best results. This isn't always evident from the outside.
L'ampiezza dell'esperienza di questa grande e poliedrica Interprete in vari Stili dell'Opera mondiale le permette di affrontare il canto sinfonico...in maniera neutra....spiegando la sua capacità di Suonare la voce difficile, ma ampia...con tutto quello che il bel Canto le ha insegnato....portando a casa un successo pieno affrontando i Ruoli più impegnativi...e i suoi fiati lunghi come un vento profetico tagliano il testo facendolo volare su il suono di un'orchestra che pare l'ascolti ...il finale estasiata lei stessa in un abbigliamento claustrale rende giustizia a questa preghiera laica...come poche volte accade. Chapeau al direttore. Non la conoscevo...sono emozionato.
@Tony Bridge Agreed: Eschenbach and Flemming are magnificent. His choice of tempos, phrasing, balance in the winds is breathtaking. Her coloratura is fantastic. However I am biased as I had the opportunity to hear this in Houston when he was there (of all places!).
I've still not heard anything to surpass this performance... Eschenbach's conducting is just so flexible and the orchestra plays beautifully right from the beginning, like they're singing. Fleming is just so in the part and holds the attention right to the very end. Yes, maybe other singers are technically superior, but ALL the others are just that... technical... Renee LIVES this song and grabs you and leaves you breathless by the end, NONE of the others do that in quite the same way,,,
Beautiful music !!! As always, Strauss. He was the master of masters. this beautiful music Makes me think about whats going on in my life.. Thank you Mrs Renee Fleming for made this performance unique and magnificent
Possibly my favorite version at the moment. The orchestra is so full of expression and although a little hurried at the start it settles down and becomes magical.
O que dizer dessa apresentação? A peça de Strauss é uma das mais belas composições já feitas, Renné Fleming se encontra no apogeu de sua carreira, a regência de Chritoph Eschenbach é absolutamente perfeita. Emoção pura! A partir dos 6'20'' até o final, se tem a impressão de que as portas do paraíso estão sendo abertas com o belíssimo som do flautim piccolo. Emocionante!
I came across this performance only recently when this song was used as part of the score to a BBC television series called 'The Trip to Italy'. I think, but am not sure, that this is the recording used. I love this, and am amazed at the point in Strauss's life that he wrote it. I have listened to many recordings now, but for me this is just exceptional.
I lived in Manhattan when the twin towers were struck. It was as if we were all attacked. American flags suddenly appeared on buildings. The classical station played only sad music. A major quartet allowed all to attend their performance of Barber's Adagio for Strings. I was stoic all week. But when I sat at home listening to Renee Fleming sing Strauss's Four Last Songs - it was then that I cried.
I had never listen to this piece until my grandfather died... he was a big fan of Strauss so we played the Vier Letzte Lieder at his funeral... Tears come to my eyes every single time I listen this sublime piece of music...
@singurheartout4 This is a recording from The Royal Albert Hall in London UK, one of the Proms concert season held every summer. There is a very small microphone several feet in front of Ms Flemming; her voice filled the hall holding 6000 people without any ampliphication, thje microphone is for the TV recording only.
And sir, this made David Bowie do the same. He knew his was a low art. But he listened to this after the 2001 atrocities, up in the mountains, wondering, with a heavy heart what was happening to the world. Bowie wrote some of Heathen based on this, and released his album on Strauss' birthday.
Thanks for pointing me to this, Gary, I never knew that! :-) 'An unexpected influence on the mood of Heathen was German composer Richard Strauss. "I haven't really said this to anybody," Bowie says conspiratorially, "but, one of the things that has gotten to me over the years is Strauss's Four Last Songs. They literally were the four last songs he ever wrote. He was in his 90s when he wrote them. There was Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. They are such moving pieces of music that I just wanted to start something that in a pop/rock way captured some of the gravitas, the spiritual questioning, that was so evident on those four songs of his' from www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/13/1021002431619.html
+Tony Bridge You're welcome sir. Bowie slips in that interview - he said Strauss was in his 90s. He was in his 80s. As we all, including Bowie, know. The journalist slipped up too - Heathen was released on 11 June - honest!
+Tony Bridge David Bowie: "This is one album that I give to friends and acquaintances continually. Although Eleanor Steber and Lisa della Casa do fine interpretations of this monumental work, Janowitz’s performance of Strauss’s Four Last Songs has been described, rightly, as transcendental. It aches with love for a life that is quietly fading. I know of no other piece of music, nor any performance, which moves me quite like this."
i went to see the Halle perform this on sunday, it was AMAZING!! it bought tears to my eyes especially when you know what its about and the reasons they were composed... tragic but beautiful! thanks for putting them up xoxox
Two years later... I watch this every day, it's just beautiful and I cry every time I play it.... Fleming and Eschenbach are just so right in this, I know others want Norman etc., but I just love Fleming :-D
+Darko Jovanovic I don't care about the pronunciation!!! My German is a lot worse :-) She gets to the heart of the song, German or no. I've really tried to like Jessye Norman and of course, she has a fabulous voice, but listening to Jessye Norman singing Strauss is.... listening to Jessye Norman singing Strauss. Watching Fleming sing Strauss is living the poem :-)
+Tony Bridge i see and its ok that u like her interpretation but my mothertongue is german and im coming from vienna, which is the capital town of classical music, this means we are spoiled cause having lots of opera in town and are critical!
@Jussihx many many thanks for this hint :) - found Vier letzte Lieder at concert of the Finnish Radio symphony orchestra at Jan 12, 2005 at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, Finland, conductor Sakari Oramo - another must for all fans of these Lieder especial Im Abendrot
Bencstorey i am very moved by your comment because i thought exactly the same when about 35 years ago (i was 15 yo) i heard this song by chance in a music shop !i don t know how old you are but i was so deeply moved i knew at this exact moment my life may be different because of the msic ....
the first time I heard this music it was in a ballet perfomance I winded up out of curiosity, I had a horrible seat and could not see half the stage. as soon I possible I went again to see and hear this beautiful piece of art.
...Eschenbach's conducting is superb and the orchestra play their socks off! The two piccolos at the end (Strauss and his wife ascending to heaven in death?) are guaranteed to make me cry every time I hear them. What a shame that the Proms audience's tradition of vying to be the first to applaud wrecks the atmosphere...
Renee Fleming is simply divine. This is, by far, her most accomplished rendering. Glass of Chateau Margot, fireplace crackling, dim lights, and Ms. Fleming last four songs. Heaven is on earth.
Well, you are truly blessed. Well, we all are if we get to listen to this.
Never heard of any 'Château Margot' - but a glass of the real Château Margaux would be perfectly suitable to accompany Die vier letzten Lieder ...hopefully it won't be your last glass to drink.
Well put. The occasional glimpse of the eternal, and what better setting as the one that you described.
Totally agree.
Strauss, too
Gut wrenching and uplifting at the same time. I am 77, my wife is 80 Sooner rather than later this will be one of us. The culmination of Strauss's career.
I understand completely. We are only in our mid-to-late 60's, but it certainly feels different now when we think about our remaining days on earth. It's interesting to contrast Strauss's "take" on death at age 24 with "Death and Transfiguration" and at age 84 with this piece.
Oh yes! It is a feeling of the eternity! Viele Grüße an all the best, Euer Bernd-
Straus's Four Last Songs were the final and crowning achievement of a lifetime of incredible music by one of the greatest geniuses of classical music. In this performance ,the magnificent voice of Renee Fleming, a great orchestra all coming together in an explosion of ecstasy. I never tire of watching it.
Probably the most beautiful piece of music ever written and performed brilliantly
Really???
It's certainly a contender, Jrff.
@@antomontinaro : YES !!!!!!! Jeff Howey is right....
@@MrMichaelvier Listen to Jessye Norman in these wonderful Last Songs
I agree - it is sublime, always makes me tear up when I hear this music
One of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.
Un sommet de la musique de tous temps et pays merveilleusement interprété. On est dans le sublime. La fin d’un monde.
Thank you Strauss and Renee for making this world a better place through music.
+Do Jagi Amen!
?
Marvellous. This has just turned up in my notifications and ruined
what I thought was my favourite version. Great performance.
these strausses die vier letzte lieder are the most beautiful music on earth. music so divine. and fleming does it so great and pure. its like she's breathing the music. just beautiful and calming. rip my dearest friend.
Thank you Madame Fleming for taking your time with the tempo so I could enjoy every delicious note of this incredibly beautiful music.
To take this song at a tempo this slow and knowing how long the phrases are, is an act of pure courage that brings tears to my eyes.
Interesting point.
magnifique
All great Are is made from courage.
Perfectly well said. You put your finger on how beautifully tender and with what uncomplicated abandon Renee Fleming sings. This is artistic perfection.
Very similar tempo as Szell's classic version with Schwartzkopf, one of Fleming's desert island discs.
To this piece we said our last farewell to my uncle, who loved classical music with all his heart. This song was played as his friends and family walked by his coffin for the last time. I will always cry, hearing this beautiful piece. Rest in piece, Uncle.
One of the greatest joys of being alive is having the chance of listening to this! God bless Flemming!
I will never tire of hearing that chord progression at 6:46-6:55 - it always sends shivers down my spine. Renee Fleming is one of the very few singers who can sing opera just as well as Lieder; utterly sublime rendition of one of Strauss's greatest works. Simply heavenly
O vast, tranquil peace,
so deep in the afterglow!
How weary we are of wandering--
Is this perhaps . . . death?
Just sing it!
Phantastisch...man glaubt in einer anderen (besseren) Welt zu sein....
Beyond words how beautiful this performance is...
Oh this is sublime music, sung by a sublime voice and exquisitely played. Renee Fleming is the consummate artist . I'm so glad I discovered this clip. This music makes my cry every time I hear it, no matter where I am or what I am doing. I always feel a better person every time I hear it.
+1
Just beautiful to hear, watch, and ponder what the composer was thinking. Picture the state of Germany following the war plus the composer nearing the end of his life. Ms. Fleming's. voice and expression tell it all. As someone else said, she lives these songs.
How in the name of God could anyone give this a thumbs down?
Do you remember the first time you heard 4 last songs? For me it was in an old Mel Gibson movie, The Year of Living Dangerously. It was before the internet and I had to go to the music store, look in a book to see what was in the sound track. I purchased the album and was changed forever.
This is in my opinion the ultimate Im Abenrot. Renée Fleming's unbelievably gifted, powerful rich and sublime voice fills ones heart to it's maximum like no one else has ever managed to achieve.
One of the most moving works ever written.
I heard her perform in Carnegie Hall! So perfect!!
Il ne faut jamais prétendre qu'un chanteur a la meilleure interpétation d'une oeuvre, car rendus a ce niveau, tous ces chanteurs sont de grands artistes. Ceci dit, je trouve cette interprétation de Renée Flemming très émouvante, elle qui d'ordinaire me laisse froid. Merci a toi Renée!
The greatest music ever written for the human voice.
Renee Fleming and of course Richard I love you. I hope I don't sound so simple but this is so pure it makes me so happy - over and over again.
+MO OH You don't sound simple... just grateful.
i think one could say that strauss saved the best for the last; one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written and renee does it justice. i saw her perform it live in tanglewood.
Simply wonderful! Renee Fleming but the orchestra and conductur as well!
Viele Grüße from the Münsterland in Northwestern Gerrmany,
Bernd.
The Proms just replayed this concert and it was my first time hearing it and WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! HONEY!!!
I was lucky enough to be in the audience, what a memoriable evening. Renee received a standing ovation and very deserved it was too.
Hundreds of years of mastery went into constructing those wooden instruments and the most beautiful sounding of them all is the voice of Renee.
Richard Strauss was a true genius ....there are only a few of these composers who share this genius with him ......
Bach-Mozart-Beethoven- Wagner-Mahler.......His music is pure heaven... and Renee Fleming sings it breathtaking beautiful thx for posting
Just got to add Schubert surely?
The music and voice soaring above the highest self. Humbling experience. Thank you.
This is a perfect tempo for this marvelous composition. Renee Fleming was exquisite in her rendition. Heard my favorite soprano Kiri Te Kanawa under George Solti's baton, but it was too fast.
Soile Isokovski
No, it’s too slow, regrettably characteristic of Eschenbach. Fleming’s control of breathing and line is wonderful, but it drags. Try Lisa della Casa.
th-cam.com/video/1B2LAmUsv1M/w-d-xo.html Now you can dream :-D
I was there in that concert,at the very front, it was like in heaven it was so Amazing,everyone is breathing with that music,that's moment, tears....
Strauss wrote the four songs separately in 1948, without the intention of being a cycle. He could not attend the premiere in London with Kirsten Flagstad and Furtwängler in May 1950 because he had already died in September 1949. He just wrote one more piece, “Malven”, a song for piano and voice premiered only in 1985 by Kiri Te Kanawa in New York.
This rendition is glorious, these songs were an absolute specialty of Fleming. Eschenbach and the orchestra support her in a formidable way, with relaxed tempi, she can breathe and sing, and gives sense to every word.
This is how Strauss, an atheist throughout his life, bid farewell to life. He could never find a spiritual sense anywhere, and he even admitted having trouble composing the music of Jochanaan (John the Baptist) in Salome because he needed to instill the music with a holy atmosphere that he could not compose.
That said, the poems by Hesse and Eichendorff mostly speak about nature, the cycle of seasons, tiredness, calm, repose, twilight, etc. Lacking any faith, his way of seeing death is truly pagan, basically related to nature, missing any supernatural ingredients. Everything is just earthly, no mention of hope, life after death, resurrection, heaven, God, the spirit, the ancestors… nothing. Thus, the songs are hopeless, deeply nostalgic, even sentimental, but there is no relief, no comfort at all. The listener is left devastated, with little room to find solace elsewhere. It is pure resignation to something inevitable but ultimately miserable.
At 7:05 Strauss quotes himself with the seven-note theme of Death and Transfiguration he wrote 60 years earlier, thus proving that he depicted death correctly as a young man (something he apparently confirmed again to his daughter-in-law, Alice, in his death bed).
No, not miserable. It is equanimity, calm, ataraxis.
Jessye Norman and Karajan- perfection her voice was made for Strauss.
I love this performance, it's stunning, but I believe you're correct, I have the Jessye Norman on a CD, bought it probably 20 years ago, absolutely divine!
Da radio Amburgo nell'inverno '45 Von Rezzori divulgo' I 4 vier lether come speranza x una rinascita di una diversa Germania,era la prima musica che ascoltavano alla radio dopo la catastrofe, cantava la divina Shvarzekopf.
I adore this piece of music.... saw it performed live at the manchester bridgewater hall and was just in tears by the end of it it was so moving.... truly a spectacular piece!
To use only 1 word for Renee's voice , the word for me is simply, BREATHTAKING, Renee's voice is BREATHTAKING.
Actually, I now think she's not less involved. Her interpretation here is a little different from the one in Lucerne. It's in fact much more melancholic, nostalgic, even sort of sad. This was probably her choice, and the slower tempo does seem to contribute to a more intimate, mournful atmosphere. The way she finished the song was very deep, really moving.
We made through strife and wonder
Our journey hand in hand;
From wandering let us rest now
In this peaceful land.
Round us the valleys falling,
The sky withdrawing light;
Two larks alone are calling,
And dreaming from the height.
Stand here and watch them flutter;
Soon will be time to sleep --
So may we never falter
Alone in this great deep.
O wider, still more peaceful!
So deep on evening’s breath.
How we are tired from roaming!
-- Can this even be death?
And here for our British friends the original lyrics in German:
Wir sind durch Not und Freude
gegangen Hand in Hand;
vom Wandern ruhen wir
nun überm stillen Land.
Rings sich die Täler neigen,
es dunkelt schon die Luft,
zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen
nachträumend in den Duft.
Tritt her und laß sie schwirren,
bald ist es Schlafenszeit,
daß wir uns nicht verirren
in dieser Einsamkeit.
O weiter, stiller Friede!
So tief im Abendrot.
Wie sind wir wandermüde--
Ist dies etwa der Tod?
Quite good English translation of the German text. Ms. Fleming is producing woderful sounds, but her German diction, sorry, could still be improved, weil ich sie ohne den Originaltext vor Augen zu haben, sie kaum verstanden habe. Therefore I have posted the original lyrics so you can hear yourself what I mean. Now I have to compare Fleming with Schwarzkopf. Will be intgeresting, I suppose. But one thing I still wonder: who is the conductor whose name has not be indicated?
Peter Bierwirth Christoph Eschenbach is the conductor
Brilliant !!! !! Congratulations to the American soprano, Renée Fleming, to the German pianist and conductor Christoph Eschenbach and to the New Philarmonia Orchestra !!!
@Gabba02, thanks for sharing this stunning performance with us all !!!
Quelle voix ..elle me donne des frissons Ces Lieder de Richard Strauss sont d'une beauté rare
I love this version- often played too fast for my taste but this is beautifully interpreted.
Philharmonia not sounding too shabby here either! What a pity they haven't been credited, or even mentioned in comments. Well done guys.
And well done for following that first downbeat, a full two seconds before they play 8-)
A few things here: if he wanted the orchestra to play with his beat he might have provided a clear preparatory beat - as it is he raises his arms in a gesture and brings them down, gives the ictus, there is no advance warning when that ictus is going to be: of where to play. This gesture gives the *character* of the first note. In order to give the character he wants, the orchestra needs to see the beat first - then respond. Had he given clear click, that would've given a different and not desirable attack to the first note. Orchestras respond very differently to different conductors beats - they know how to function without one and to listen to each other and play to get the best results. This isn't always evident from the outside.
Le chant de l'âme et du cosmos.
Rien n'est plus beau!
L'ampiezza dell'esperienza di questa grande e poliedrica Interprete in vari Stili dell'Opera mondiale le permette di affrontare il canto sinfonico...in maniera neutra....spiegando la sua capacità di Suonare la voce difficile, ma ampia...con tutto quello che il bel Canto le ha insegnato....portando a casa un successo pieno affrontando i Ruoli più impegnativi...e i suoi fiati lunghi come un vento profetico tagliano il testo facendolo volare su il suono di un'orchestra che pare l'ascolti ...il finale estasiata lei stessa in un abbigliamento claustrale rende giustizia a questa preghiera laica...come poche volte accade. Chapeau al direttore. Non la conoscevo...sono emozionato.
First time I've heard this. So movingly beautiful. Thank you.
This rips my heart out of my chest - utterly, utterly beautiful. The coda, 7:00-9:24 is simply sublime!!!!!!
My exact reaction. Thanks.
@Tony Bridge Agreed: Eschenbach and Flemming are magnificent. His choice of tempos, phrasing, balance in the winds is breathtaking. Her coloratura is fantastic. However I am biased as I had the opportunity to hear this in Houston when he was there (of all places!).
I've still not heard anything to surpass this performance... Eschenbach's conducting is just so flexible and the orchestra plays beautifully right from the beginning, like they're singing. Fleming is just so in the part and holds the attention right to the very end. Yes, maybe other singers are technically superior, but ALL the others are just that... technical... Renee LIVES this song and grabs you and leaves you breathless by the end, NONE of the others do that in quite the same way,,,
Jessye Norman.
Fantastic singing fantastic playing fantastic conducting.
It would have been nice to hear the full audience appreciation at the end.
Brilliant !
The Strauss repertory has deep ,rich and profound orchestrations that embrace dark tones and beauty. Very nicely interpreted by Ms Fleming.
The part that goes since 6:30 to the end is just increbible, and the beauty of that chord at 6:37 is inmense. Masterful music and magic perfomance.
Beautiful music !!! As always, Strauss. He was the master of masters. this beautiful music Makes me think about whats going on in my life..
Thank you Mrs Renee Fleming for made this performance unique and magnificent
I believe there is ETERNITY.
From Tokyo Japan
The Last Songs of the Last Strauss. And what a pathos of interpretation that of Renee Fleming! This is also ein Art des Gesamtkunstwerk.
This is an amazing piece of music. Taking into account the words and when it was written it never fails to bring a lump to my throat.
This is still the best of the best of singing. Orchestra is amazing.
Possibly my favorite version at the moment. The orchestra is so full of expression and although a little hurried at the start it settles down and becomes magical.
Bravo Strauss. Bravo Renee Fleming. Please come to Perth, Western Australia.
O que dizer dessa apresentação? A peça de Strauss é uma das mais belas composições já feitas, Renné Fleming se encontra no apogeu de sua carreira, a regência de Chritoph Eschenbach é absolutamente perfeita. Emoção pura! A partir dos 6'20'' até o final, se tem a impressão de que as portas do paraíso estão sendo abertas com o belíssimo som do flautim piccolo. Emocionante!
I came across this performance only recently when this song was used as part of the score to a BBC television series called 'The Trip to Italy'. I think, but am not sure, that this is the recording used. I love this, and am amazed at the point in Strauss's life that he wrote it. I have listened to many recordings now, but for me this is just exceptional.
I just arrived here having watched that too! It's absolutely lovely.
Me too
No, that recording is one of the Schwarzkopf ones, also beautiful.
Renée puts so much feeling and expression into her singing of Strauss!! You an see the tears in her eyes at the end!
This is such a gift of beauty, the tempo makes it compelling. Tove, this is for you x
Esto es la belleza , la sensibilidad a flor de piel...
Many centuries of musical developments has come together in this composition with the Best Voice of our time
Lay me down to rest and let my soul float im abendrot.
Just extraordinarily beautiful and moving...
Ms. Fleming adores this music, and it shows. I can't get enough of this.
I was there. It's impossible not to see August, 2001 as a fin de siècle moment in our history.
I lived in Manhattan when the twin towers were struck. It was as if we were all attacked. American flags suddenly appeared on buildings. The classical station played only sad music. A major quartet allowed all to attend their performance of Barber's Adagio for Strings. I was stoic all week. But when I sat at home listening to Renee Fleming sing Strauss's Four Last Songs - it was then that I cried.
Was für eine wunderbare Musik!
Sin comentarios,solo escuchar y disfrutar.
I had never listen to this piece until my grandfather died... he was a big fan of Strauss so we played the Vier Letzte Lieder at his funeral...
Tears come to my eyes every single time I listen this sublime piece of music...
That look on Renee's face at the closing says it all. Like she's looking directly at a higher power.
Amazing performance.
@singurheartout4 This is a recording from The Royal Albert Hall in London UK, one of the Proms concert season held every summer. There is a very small microphone several feet in front of Ms Flemming; her voice filled the hall holding 6000 people without any ampliphication, thje microphone is for the TV recording only.
Thank you.Thank you. Thank you.
Stunning singing and stunning Orchestrer.
Just remembering why I love Strauss
It's simply so beautiful this voice, extraordinary!!
Makes me weep uncontrollably each time...
And sir, this made David Bowie do the same. He knew his was a low art. But he listened to this after the 2001 atrocities, up in the mountains, wondering, with a heavy heart what was happening to the world. Bowie wrote some of Heathen based on this, and released his album on Strauss' birthday.
Thanks for pointing me to this, Gary, I never knew that! :-)
'An unexpected influence on the mood of Heathen was German composer Richard Strauss.
"I haven't really said this to anybody," Bowie says conspiratorially, "but, one of the things that has gotten to me over the years is Strauss's Four Last Songs. They literally were the four last songs he ever wrote. He was in his 90s when he wrote them. There was Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. They are such moving pieces of music that I just wanted to start something that in a pop/rock way captured some of the gravitas, the spiritual questioning, that was so evident on those four songs of his'
from
www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/13/1021002431619.html
+Tony Bridge You're welcome sir. Bowie slips in that interview - he said Strauss was in his 90s. He was in his 80s. As we all, including Bowie, know. The journalist slipped up too - Heathen was released on 11 June - honest!
+Tony Bridge David Bowie: "This is one album that I give to friends and acquaintances continually. Although Eleanor Steber and Lisa della Casa do fine interpretations of this monumental work, Janowitz’s performance of Strauss’s Four Last Songs has been described, rightly, as transcendental. It aches with love for a life that is quietly fading. I know of no other piece of music, nor any performance, which moves me quite like this."
Gary Duckworth y
i went to see the Halle perform this on sunday, it was AMAZING!! it bought tears to my eyes especially when you know what its about and the reasons they were composed... tragic but beautiful!
thanks for putting them up xoxox
Renee when I saw your performace... I just cry! Wonderful!
Ich finde Soile Isokoski immer noch als die beste Interpretin dieses Liedes.
Das muss ich hören! Danke für den Tipp! Viele Grüße Bernd.
Know nothing about classical music. Heard this from "The Trip To Italy", had to hear more. And why, on hearing this, do I gush with tears? Mental
now, strauss become my new favorite composer
Two years later... I watch this every day, it's just beautiful and I cry every time I play it.... Fleming and Eschenbach are just so right in this, I know others want Norman etc., but I just love Fleming :-D
+Tony Bridge her german is awfull, jessye norman did it better!
+Darko Jovanovic I don't care about the pronunciation!!! My German is a lot worse :-) She gets to the heart of the song, German or no. I've really tried to like Jessye Norman and of course, she has a fabulous voice, but listening to Jessye Norman singing Strauss is.... listening to Jessye Norman singing Strauss. Watching Fleming sing Strauss is living the poem :-)
+Tony Bridge i see and its ok that u like her interpretation but my mothertongue is german and im coming from vienna, which is the capital town of classical music, this means we are spoiled cause having lots of opera in town and are critical!
You are right. When Jessye Norman sings Strauss, I hear... Jessye Norman. Sometimes she forgets to forget abour herself
Remember watching this on live t.v, brilliant performances all round, went and bought the Strauss C.D
@Jussihx many many thanks for this hint :) - found Vier letzte Lieder at concert of the Finnish Radio symphony orchestra at Jan 12, 2005 at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, Finland, conductor Sakari Oramo - another must for all fans of these Lieder especial Im Abendrot
Bencstorey i am very moved by your comment because i thought exactly the same when about 35 years ago (i was 15 yo) i heard this song by chance in a music shop !i don t know how old you are but i was so deeply moved i knew at this exact moment my life may be different because of the msic ....
Wonderful.
Thank you so much for uploading this great moment.
Priceless.
a class apart indeed!!! magnifico💞💞💞
the first time I heard this music it was in a ballet perfomance I winded up out of curiosity, I had a horrible seat and could not see half the stage.
as soon I possible I went again to see and hear this beautiful piece of art.
très belle introduction orchestrale !
That introduction tears my heart out every time.
Thank you for this tempo ..way to go, chris & renee ..(you too, rich
...Eschenbach's conducting is superb and the orchestra play their socks off! The two piccolos at the end (Strauss and his wife ascending to heaven in death?) are guaranteed to make me cry every time I hear them. What a shame that the Proms audience's tradition of vying to be the first to applaud wrecks the atmosphere...
Cuanta belleza en música y voz.¡¡¡ Simplemente maravilloso.¡¡¡¡¡
non conosco la lingua,quindi non ho capito niente,ma questo brano mi infonde una calma interiore,e una forza nuova.