Strauss, R: Einerlei, Op. 69 No. 3

Hyperion’s Strauss Lieder series continues to demonstrate that the composer’s achievements in this genre are among the most fascinating and accomplished of his works. This latest volume includes, for instance, the delicious Schlechtes Wetter from Op 69, and the lovely—and unknown—Waldesfahrt from the same group. The delicately beautiful Malven (never published in Strauss’s lifetime, and first performed by Kiri Te Kanawa in 1985), with which the recital ends, is known as Strauss’s ‘Fifth Last Song’.

The central work recorded here, Krämerspiegel, owes its genesis to Strauss’s long-lasting and bitter dispute with the German music publishing industry. A Berlin literary critic, Alfred Kerr, wrote him a witty set of satirical verses lampooning music publishers, mentioning many of Strauss’s principal enemies by name. Strauss set all twelve poems to music, and this practical joke finally saw the light of day in 1921. It is easy to understand why the cycle is now rarely performed, given that the texts consist entirely of in-jokes, and that the lion’s share of the music is given to the pianist. But Strauss’s music is well worth savouring, not least for its humorous references to Strauss’s own works, such as Der Rosenkavalier and Ein Heldenleben, and especially for the beautiful prelude to the eighth song and its reprise as the final extended postlude—used by the composer nearly a quarter of a century later, in his opera Capriccio.

Roger Vignoles is the curator and pianist of this series, and also writes the informative booklet notes. Making her Hyperion debut is soprano Elizabeth Watts, of whom The Guardian commented at a recent Strauss Lieder recital: ‘Watts, winner of the Lieder prize at Cardiff Singer of the World in 2007, is already a major artist, but this struck me as making a transformation into a great one, as well as allowing us to hear her in music she seems to have been born to sing. Watts has the right tonal glamour for Strauss along with that tricky combination of vocal ease and immaculate control that his work requires.’

This delightful recital of Strauss songs by Dame Felicity Lott focuses on songs composed between 1885 and 1901, the years of Strauss’s richest song-writing genius.

Partnered by her long-time collaborator, Graham Johnson, Dame Felicity sings various Nocturnes and Fantasies, songs about flowers, and then, grouped as “Valedictions and Lullabies”, some of Strauss’s best-known songs, including Allerseelen and Muttertändelei.

The disc concludes with one of his best-loved songs, ‘Morgen’. This is the last of the four Op.27 wedding-gift songs for his wife, Pauline de Ahna: “…breathless rapture turned into music, one of the great songs of the world…” [Michael Kennedy, 2003]

Dame Felicity Lott is considered one of the greatest sopranos of the 21st Century. Her operatic repertoire ranges from Handel to Stravinsky; and her formidable international reputation is as an interpreter of the great roles of Mozart and Strauss.

Graham Johnson is recognised as one of the world’s leading vocal accompanists. He was made an OBE in the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours list and he was also made an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society in February 2010.

Although Lisa Della Casa sang in many operas in Salzburg, she gave only a single lieder recital: in 1957 in the Grosser Saal of the Mozarteum, accompanied by the Hungarian pianist Arpad Sándor, esteemed chamber music partner of musicians such as Fritz Kreisler and Jascha Heifetz.Anyone who had not expected lieder to be a speciality of this lyric soprano would soon be disabused: with the incomparable clarity and simplicity of her melodic line and her precise and unaffected articulation, Lisa Della Casa excelled with touchstones of the repertoire by Schubert and Brahms. She also honoured her compatriot Othmar Schoeck (who had died the previous spring) with her performance of two lieder from his new setting of Goethe's singspiel libretto Erwin und Elmire. She also included in her programme three of the Chansons populaires by Ravel, 1957 being the 20th anniversary of his death. Naturally, she concluded her recital with a group of lieder by Richard Strauss, the composer with whose works her name is still most associated.A unique delight made available to the modern audience thanks to this Orfeo recording.

Richard Strauss, the great composer of symphonic poems and grand operas, wrote solo songs throughout his life: his first compositions, performed within his family circle, were songs and his setting of the poem Malven (Mallows) was to be the last piece he completed. Taking a keen interest in the possibilities and limitations of the human voice, Strauss in the solo song genre found the opportunity to try out various musical options and to discover his own individual style. But the writing of songs also served as a form of relaxation, a way of passing the time. The result is a varied spectrum of atmospheres, moods and emotions: from the jesting tone of Hat gesagt — bleibt’s nicht dabei to the heart-felt declaration of love in Cäcilie and the portrayal of madness of the Three Songs of Ophelia.

Camilla Tilling, whose successful opera career in a very short time has taken her to some of the world’s most prestigious venues — including Covent Garden, the Metropolitan, La Scala and La Monnaie — made her international breakthrough in the role of Sophie in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. Ever since, Strauss’s music has held a special place for her, and on her first solo recording she has chosen to perform some of her favourites among his songs. She is partnered by the fine German pianist Paul Rivinius, with violinist Ulf Wallin making a guest appearance in Morgen!, where he plays the solo that Strauss added when making an orchestral version of the song.

Camilla recently starred in the recent production of Hansel and Gretel at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to great acclaim: “But the second cast was terrific - better on points than the first, with a particularly enchanting Gretel from Camilla Tilling, who had…personal sweetness and vocal charm”. The Telegraph