Beethoven: Maigesang, Op. 52 No. 4 (Mailied)

Beethoven's Lieder have not managed to achieve the same degree of popularity as his symphonies, concertos, sonatas and string quartets, and yet he wrote over 80 songs with an attention to texts and architecture that was subsequently to reach its apogee with Schubert, Schumann and Wolf.The 28 Lieder chosen by Barbara Hendricks represent range from the salon piece to the most poignant poems of Goethe, via the perfectly constructed cycle of An die ferne Geliebte, not forgetting the commissions of the Scottish publisher George Thomson. Future releases from Arte Verum will include Pergolesi's Stabat Mater & cantata Orfeo.

Hans Mayer wrote “He knew exactly what he wanted to sing and how to go about it. The word ‘magnetism’ – so frequently misappropriated for all types of advertising – fully applied in his case.”

Beginning in the late 1940s “FiDi,” as he was already known in his Berlin years, elevated lied singing to an unparalleled level associated with his mellifluous baritone, superb vocal technique, and the credibility of his interpretations. Fortunately the persuasive powers of his early years are attested to not only by ear witnesses but by many radio recordings.

These two sets of lieder by Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven are taken from two recording sessions held at Berlin’s RIAS broadcasting company in 1951/52.

Beethoven’s lieder did not belong to the standard repertoire at the time, and it was Fischer-Dieskau who first popularized them.