Good grief. For my money these songs by Jessye Norman almost blow Kiri out of the water. Kiri never brought me to tears, but this version does. I can see why you might have reservations about the 'darkness' of her voice, but for me, it has a touch of the Underworld about it. It's authentic. I believe her.

There's no following performances like these; I shall have to wait and listen to the Schwarzkopf and Janowitz after a decent gap. But already I can see that I need to buy the Norman/Masur recording. Thanks very much indeed for pointing me towards this.

My pleasure - glad to hear you like it.

Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique by Simon Rattle and Berliner Philharmoniker.Nothing special,i like 1988 recording by Mariss Jansons and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra way better.

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Continuing to explore jhar26's youtube links for the Four Last Songs:

Well, isn't it strange how polarised different people are over performances of the Four Last Songs? My response to Schwarzkopf, here, is exactly the same as it is to her acclaimed Rosenkavalier. Very beautiful, very precise, but - and this is what I don't understand in the light of comments by others - it comes over as somehow detached, clinical, even sterile. I want to stop listening after a couple minutes because it seems so devoid of life or commitment. Now I'm not suggesting this is a correct perception: I know I'm missing something here. I just don't know what to do about it. I never solved my Schwarzkopf/Rosenkavalier problem either, so I think I'm just stuck with it.

I prefer these to Schwarzkopf, but all the time - and this will seem quite philistine, I know - I keep wishing I were listening to the rich dark warmth of the Jessye Norman version. What a valuable exercise this has been; and the outcome is that the Norman recording is a must-get, for me. Thanks again for your help, and I hope Ms Fleming, meanwhile, is rewarding you with her performances of these songs.

No - it doesn't sound philistine at all. All these versions (Schwarzkopf, Kiri, Janowitz, Fleming AND Norman) are very highly rated by critics and fans of this work, and rightly so IMO. Just what version speaks to you (or me) the most is a matter of personal taste - not one of right or wrong. BTW - I for one like Schwarzkopf's Rosenkavalier. I understand what you mean by her sounding detached, but to me she sounds aristocratic...."different strokes for different folks" as they say.

You're right. A great deal hangs on how we 'see' the Marschallin - or maybe how we think Strauss saw her. I've encountered something similar with three versions of Suor Angelica I've been listening to recently, but that would be out of place here, and I'm already miles off topic for this thread - I'll put up a post about it somewhere more appropriate.

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor; Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major
Herbert von Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker

... Yes...

Oh my. I'm lost for words right now. This arrived this morning:



This is wholly unknown territory for me. I know nothing of French Baroque music, but I'd listened to samples from each of the 20CDs in the box, found them tantalising, and took the plunge. I've just been listening to the third CD (devoted to excerpts from Lully's Isis and Amadis) and it's like coming over the brow of a hill and seeing an entirely new landscape ahead, full of promise and excitement. Gramophone magazine gave this set a big thumbs-up back in August, and it's easy to see why.

There's a website devoted entirely to this box set here:

http://www.baroqueboxset.com/presentation.html

where - among other things - you can listen to a sample from each CD.

(The website refers to an accompanying booklet 'on a CD rom', but that information seems incorrect, as mine contains a real booklet, thank goodness!)

Footnote:
It seems that this set is due for re-release shortly, at just under £100, but for the moment, at least, it's still available for half that price, though if you search on Amazon.co.uk for 'Versailles', you may be confused by finding the expensive re-release. Here's the bargain version:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001AUKJKU

Sounds interesting. Are the texts of the vocal numbers included with a translation in English?

Yes, though the layout of the booklet is a bit bewildering. With each piece you get the whole of the French followed by the whole of the English translation - instead of having the two running side-by-side. So everything is there, but it's a bit more awkward to use than I'd like. However, at less than £2.50 per disc, and given the beautiful presentation of the whole package, and the 130 pages of condensed information, and the almost-like-being-there feeling, I'm not inclined to grumble too much.

Thanks for the info mate. I've just ordered it - what a bargain! BTW - check this one out also.......

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...9T5394KHCA8T82

Contents...

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/D...HM/88697281822

That is an astounding bargain, isn't it? Do you have it? Or will you get it? Or will you choose not to get it and regret the decision for the rest of your life?

Choices, choices, eh?

Knowing myself I won't be able to resist and end up buying it.

Considering your recent expenditure, I'd rather not tell you anything about this.



Oh, and it sells for a little more than one and a half Pounds ($3, I guess) per CD.

You gotta love the crisis in the record industry. The're practically giving them away these days!