Winterreise

[Guido]

Schmidt was the best gifted of the "Dieskau children". One listens to his recording of Schoeck's unknown masterpiece "Elegy" and inmediately recognizes a singer of worth. I think he destroyed his voice by imitating his Maestro's timbre (one of the worst mistakes a singer can make).

YES YES YES! That's precicely what I was thinking of. SO wonderful. I adore Schoeck (DFD Lebendig Begraben is also superb).

Schmidt is great in the rarely heard songs for bass baritone and orchestra by Strauss too. Haven't heard him in anything else, but just from these two recordings he is one of my favourite singers.

[mjwal]

Regarding DFD, I heard a critic on radio suggest that although he had many of his discs, they rarely came off the shelf. His reaction was that he admired DFD, but did not love his performances. With a few exceptions, I have the same reaction.

Mike

My feelings exactly. But his early Schumann and his Mahler with Furtwängler are unforgettable. To go off on a tangent, though, I am very taken by his autobiographical reflections, Nachklang (Echoes of a Lifetime in English - the translation is said to be dodgy, though). They are very evocative of pre- and post-war Berlin, dryly humorous, without the slightest sentimentality but infused with a deep love of art and artists - in short the kind of musician's memoir that you can savour sentence for sentence (cue for a separate thread on this subject; offhand, Szigeti and Piatigorsky come to mind.)

[Mirror Image]

How is this recording?

[asin]B003064CZK[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Has no one heard that Harmonia Mundi recording I posted above?

[mc ukrneal]

How is this recording?

[asin]B003064CZK[/asin]

I missed your post! I think is quite good. But you can listen to them on youtube to get a feel for the voice (here is one of the songs, but there are many more there): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MVdE1_v3_8&feature=BFa&list=PL1BA46F24EBF95FEF&index=1.

It is sometimes a bit declamatory, but that is not necessarily a black mark against it. His voice can be sensual and cold, both of which he uses here. And of course, he can sound like honey when he wants to. It is a good tenor version, but which you like most will depend on your tastes I think. There has been lots of discussion on some of his 'competitors' on the threads here and you may find those posts useful as well.

[zamyrabyrd]

It is sometimes a bit declamatory, but that is not necessarily a black mark against it. His voice can be sensual and cold, both of which he uses here. And of course, he can sound like honey when he wants to. It is a good tenor version, but which you like most will depend on your tastes I think.

Werner Güra, a tenor, has considerable substance in his voice and also the ability to become almost transparent. The pianist, Christoph Berner, is also excellent with a beautiful tone. That particular recording is with a "Hammerflügel"?
ZB

[petrarch]

Werner Güra, a tenor, has considerable substance in his voice and also the ability to become almost transparent. The pianist, Christoph Berner, is also excellent with a beautiful tone. That particular recording is with a "Hammerflügel"?

Yes, a Rönisch 1872.