Strauss, R: Amor, Op. 68 No. 5

"I thank my Almighty Creator for the gift and inspiration of the female voice." R. Strauss

Strauss displays a consistent ability to bring out the best in a singer, and soprano Gillian Keith - accompanied here by pianist Simon Lepper - amply showcases Straussʼ unique reverence for the female voice.

In song-writing, as in orchestral music, Richard Strauss hit his stride early. His range and confidence is displayed in this group of songs; as the selection shows, he wrote some superb examples in his teens, and by his mid-twenties was already an assured master of the Lied; mastery which continued to develop into old age.

Generations of singers have been inspired by Straussʼ devotion to song; from the dramatic, to the lyric, to the coloratura, Straussʼ songs offer something very special.

In this recital of specially chosen Lieder are many songs which have earned their place in the repertoire, along with less-often heard works such as Mädchenblumen and Drei Lieder der Ophelia, which compliment those more familiar and are at the heart of this recital.

One of Canadaʼs leading lyric sopranos, Gillian Keith made her Royal Opera Covent Garden debut as Zerbinetta in Straussʼ Ariadne auf Naxos, a role she has gone on to repeat with great success. A past winner of the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Award, she has a natural affinity for Straussʼ music.

“This is a performance of transcendent art” proclaimed Opera News on hearing Diana Damrau’s interpretation of Strauss’ Zerbinetta on her last Virgin Classics album, ‘Coloraturas’. In this collection of Strauss songs, recorded in the composer’s hometown, she is joined by the Munich Philharmonic and Christian Thielemann, the leading German conductor of his generation.

Soprano Diana Damrau, described by The Sunday Times as “the most dazzling star to have emerged from Germany in recent years” was born in Bavaria. The region’s capital, Munich, was the birthplace of Richard Strauss, and in March 2009 a programme of the composer’s songs was presented at the city’s Gasteig Philharmonie, with Damrau accompanied by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under its Chief Conductor, Christian Thielemann.

“Strauss loved female voices,” says Damrau, “and he explores some extreme possibilities in these many-layered songs, each with its different point of view. Sensitivity to the words is vital to telling the story of each song, to capturing the rapid changes of mood and all the colours.”

Strauss’ operatic roles for lyric-coloratura soprano, notably Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Aithra (Die Aegyptische Helena) and Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) have played an important role in Damrau’s career. As Opera News wrote when reviewing her last Virgin Classics album, ‘Coloraturas’: “Zerbinetta … is one of Damrau's calling cards, having served for her stupendous Met debut in 2005. ‘Grossmächtige Prinzessin’ provides every opportunity to dazzle the listener, with stratospheric high notes, staccatos, roulades and trills, as Zerbinetta cajoles, berates and mocks the gloomy Ariadne. Every note and word reveals Damrau's artistry, the result of constantly questioning and probing into the composer's intentions; while the soprano has a knack for concealing or highlighting technical difficulties at will, here just enough self-absorbed delight breaks to the surface that we are as captivated by Zerbinetta's own theatrical skills as by Damrau's vocal athleticism. Damrau/Zerbinetta even seems to be commanding the orchestra's responses to her whimsical, moody outbursts. This is a performance of transcendent art.”

On the new CD, favourites such as ‘Ständchen’, ‘Wiegenlied’, ‘Allerseelen’, ‘Cäcilie’ and ‘Zueignung’ feature alongside more rarely heard numbers, and six tracks recorded under studio conditions now complement the sixteen songs captured live.

Strauss, says Natalie Dessay, is the key to her career, and this recital of Lieder, arias and scenes features two contrasting characters central to her stage repertoire: the innocent young Sophie from Der Rosenkavalier and the coquettish Zerbinetta, a role Natalie has made her own in Paris and at the Met, and whose dizzyingly stratospheric set piece opens this programme. Available for the first time in jewel case format.

A stunning debut album from an up and coming young opera singer, Ilona Domnich. This diverse album covers a range of styles, as Ilona says …”some of the songs are very difficult. For instance some parts of the Strauss songs are very acrobatic, on the other hand the lyrical Italian songs, while ostensibly less technically demanding, call for intense musicality and sensitivity”

Collected Teldec recordings from one of the most acclaimed coloraturas of recent decades.