SONGS by Alma Mahler, Schreker & Korngold - rel Sept 10 2021

[brendangcarroll]

RELEASED Sept 10: a new CD from German soprano Dorothea Herbert of rarely performed and extremely beautiful  lieder by Alma Mahler, Franz Schreker and Erich Wolfgang Korngold!  Very welcome indeed.

https://www.7mntn.com/die-stille-stadt/

[Alan Howe]

Sorry, Brendan, but I'm afraid this recital won't give much pleasure vocally speaking: Dorothea Herbert has a wide, slow vibrato and acidic tone that makes listening a real trial:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/die-stille-stadt/hnum/10676215

No: this music needs a glamorous voice. Margaret Price, Gundula Janowitz or René Fleming in their different ways would have been ideal. But not this third-rater.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JxPNj-cHz8

I welcome the repertoire, but the performance sinks this release without trace.

[brendangcarroll]

I am here merely to report the news of new recordings, interesting concerts. I cannot comment on the performances because it's a matter of taste and for others to say. I am just happy the repertoire is getting exposure. Schreker's lovely songs are hardly ever done and recordings are few & far between. So this is a welcome step in my view, even if for some, the performances are not top notch. Ms Fleming is now in vocal decline and tailoring her repertoire choices accordingly (hence her forays into jazz & popular music of late). I do not know any young singers of the Janowitz/Price calibre. 

[Alan Howe]

...and herein lies the problem. These songs require superb vocalism, not mediocrity - or worse. After all, we wouldn't accept a violinist who couldn't hold a steady line, would we?

As for René Fleming, at 62 of course she's past her peak! What I meant was that we need a singer of her calibre at her best!

A great recorded example would be Margaret Price in Berg's Altenberg Lieder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTjy1LyxAfk

Anyway, as I said, if you want good singing, you'll have to look elsewhere. Otherwise, if you want this repertoire - go ahead and buy the CD. It's just not for me. When I listen to a singer I want something rather better than Miss Herbert can offer.

Lucy Crowe is the sort of singer who would have done this repertoire far better:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8936332--longing-lieder-by-strauss-berg-schoenberg

Want some Schreker decently performed? Try Anke Vondung:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8049991--fin-de-siecle
...or Anne Schwanewilms:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8121891--schone-welt

And if you want all Schreker's songs:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7938593--schreker-complete-songs-for-voice-and-piano-vol-1
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7938832--franz-schreker-complete-songs-for-voice-and-piano-vol-2

[semloh]

I am certainly with you on this one, Alan. Sadly, I found no beauty in Ms Herbert's singing, and soon tired of her voice, even in those short extracts. The Korngold was strangely unpleasant - due, I suppose, to the problems you pinpointed. It's a pity because the repertoire deserves the best.

[Alan Howe]

I think it's worth stating that all vocal releases should come with a 'caveat emptor' warning, as it's really of little value to issue a recording of rare (or any) repertoire with third-rate singing. The new recording under discussion here is a complete non-starter.