Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
This great and legendary voice of the post-1945 period remains for many the incarnation of the world of German music, specifically for the operas of Richard Strauss, the performances of which remain a model of singing, of style, of perfect diction and emotion, qualities which are rarely found together in a single artist. She has also left us two recordings of Vier letzte Lieder (with Otto Ackermann, and later, with George Szell) which are absolute works of reference. 13 year separate these two versions which every music lover will want to get to know: the first, with a more ductile, supple voice, more enchanting than the second, darker and more sombre, with dulled mid-range notes. But one shouldn't pin her to a single composer, because Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was also a great recitalist, in particular with the famous English pianist Gerald Moore. Together, they recorded a number of albums dedicated to the German Lied, from Mozart to Hugo Wolf. An accomplished Mozartian, Schwarzkopf also sang Italian opera (a Turandot appears, with Maria Callas).
We must also not forget the field of the operetta, to which Elisabeth Schwarzkopf brought such a noble bearing. She sparkled with particular shine in Johan Strauss's Die Fledermaus or One Night in Venice. In a less typical register, we also find her performing Pelléas et Mélisande, Debussy's masterpiece, where she sang under Karajan's direction and in Stravinsky's Rake's Progress, in the role of Anne Trulove, which she performed at Venice's La Fenice, directed by the composer, in 1951.
With Christa Ludwig and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf gave us immortal recordings of the Lieder of Hugo Wolf, to whose fame she contributed immensely.
The singer was also known for her inflexible personality, and an ardour for her work which allowed her a long career that spanned over three decades. At her height, in full command of her abilities, she cut down her roles, choosing only to keep those that she could absolutely master: Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro), Countess Madeleine (Capriccio), and her signature role, the Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier). Her art seduces or appals, depending on whether or not you like her finely-chiselled work, which is as multi-layered as a Viennese whirl. At the opera, her collaborations with Wilhelm Furtwängler or Herbert von Karajan were the perfect marriage of intelligence and the most heightened sensibility. It is perhaps in the Lieder, with dream partners such as Edwin Fischer, Furtwängler, Gieseking or Moore that Elisabeth Schwarzkopf reveals the most intimate, highest secrets of her art. Thanks to her husband and manager, Welter Legge, famous musical producer at the British firm EMI, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf has created a large number of recordings which today form an inimitable ensemble.
© FH / Qobuz
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Mozart - Don Giovanni
Cesare Siepi, Elisabeth Grümmer, Anton Dermota, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Opera - Released by Classical Masters on Jul 1, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
R. Strauss: Lieder
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Hermann Reutter
Classical - Released by SWR Mediaservices GmbH on May 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arias & Lieder
Herbert von Karajan, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Classical - Released by Urania on Jan 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johann Strauss II : Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice) (1954), Volume 2
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Nicolai Gedda
Classical - Released by Classical Moments on Dec 17, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Walton: Scenes from Troilus and Cressida
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Richard Lewis, Philharmonia Orchestra, William Walton
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Operetta Favourites
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Regis Records on Jan 1, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vocal Recital: Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth - Verdi, G. / Loewe, C. / Weber, C.M. Von / Mozart, W.A. / Bach, J.S. / Handel, G.F. / Beethoven, L. Van (Giuseppe Verdi - Salvadore Cammarano - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Classical - Released by IDIS on Jan 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dokumente einer Sängerkarriere - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on Oct 25, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf/Brahms/Loewe/Grieg: Lieder
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Geoffrey Parsons
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf - The Mozart Diva, Opera arias & rarities
Classical - Released by Ermitage Records on Oct 26, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lieder of Schubert, Schumann & Strauss, Recordings 1948-1954
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Geoffrey Parsons, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Classical Moments on Jun 3, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: Italian Songbook
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerald Moore
Classical - Released by Past Classics on Jun 12, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: Concert Arias (The Complete Studio Recordings)
Opera - Released by Urania Records on May 24, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Ambrosian Singers, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Blue Pie Records USA on Jan 1, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano • Geoffrey Parsons, piano : Mozart • Schubert • Schumann • Wolf • Wolf-Ferrari
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Geoffrey Parsons
Classical - Released by Ermitage Records on Jun 29, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Strauss: The Knight of the Rose
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Oct 12, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss II: The Gypsy Baron
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Erich Kunz, Will Ferenz, Nicolai Gedda, The Philharmonia Orchestra, The Philharmonia Chorus
Opera - Released by Past Classics on Apr 28, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß: das Schönste der Operette
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Apr 19, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf, H.: Lieder (Schwarkopf) (1953) (Hugo Wolf - Eduard Morike - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Classical - Released by IDIS on Jan 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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MOZART: Symphonies Nos. 25, 28, and 40 and Arias (1956 / 1959 / 1961)
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Fritz Wunderlich, Ruth-Margret Putz, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Carl Schuricht
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo