Wolf, H: Italienisches Liederbuch (selection)

Described by Opera magazine as ‘Britain’s best baritone’, London-born Roderick Williams and leading pianist Helmut Deutsch perform an atmospheric Liederabend, featuring some of the most inspiring German songs of the 19th century. Immersing himself in the great range of moods portrayed through his programme, from the celebratory outpouring of praise in Wolf’s ‘Gesegnet sei, durch den die Welt entstund’ to the sorrowful resignation to heartbreak in Schumann’s ‘Alte Leute’, Williams’s dramatic narrations are emotionally engaging throughout. Complemented by Deutsch’s superlative pianism, this recording is unforgettably poignant – a ‘must have’ for lovers of Lieder.

Irmgard Seefried (1919-1988) made her debut in 1939 (or 1940) at the Aachen Stadttheater as Priestess in Aida. She was engaged for that opera house by Herbert von Karajan. She appeared at the Covent Garden Opera in London from 1947 to 1949, and also in Milan (La Scala), Salzburg and Edinburgh. She made her Metropolitan Opera in New York debut in November 1953 as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro). This CD portrait is exclusively comprised of examples from her best years, beginning with her very first recording, Handel’s Psalm 112, made in 1943, and ending with the Lieder for sopranofrom Hugo Wolf’s Italian Liederbuch, recorded by Deutsche Grammophon in 1954.

This remarkable collection highlights the career of the great Metropolitan Opera star, the American soprano Benita Valente, collecting performances from both concerts and the recording studio.

This retrospective program was made in consultation with Ms. Valente to create vocal art of the highest order!