Richard Strauss’  Heroines

It is often said that Richard Strauss had a lifelong love affair with the soprano voice, and it is certainly true that many of his finest operatic roles were written with that voice in mind. There likely was also an impact by the fact that Strauss’ wife was a well-known soprano in her day. In addition, the quality of Strauss’ writing for sopranos regularly shows off their voices to maximum advantage. Sopranos have genuine reasons to the grateful to him.

Collected on this CD are some of Strauss’s greatest heroines –they include the Marschallin in “Rosenkavalier”, as well as Salome and Elektra, and the Empress in “Frau ohne Schatten”. These highlights feature not only great solo scenes (the final scene of Salome, and Elektra’s monologue), but also some amazing ensembles (Arabella, Ariadne auf Naxos, and the closing scene of Rosenkavalier).

The singers represent some of the leading Strauss sopranos of their day – Lisa Della Casa, Hilde Gueden, Crespin, Söderström, Silja and, of course, Birgit Nilsson – as well as some of the great Strauss conductors: Solti, Böhm, and Dohnányi.

This recording will be issued March 28, 2012, and this is really wonderful, memorable music by a master composer!

Here are the selections:

Strauss, R:

• Er ist der Richtige nicht für mich … Aber der Richtige, wenn’s einen gibt für mich (from Arabella)

Lisa della Casa (Arabella) & Hilde Gueden (Zdenka)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker

• Es gibt ein Reich (from Ariadne auf Naxos)

Leontyne Price (Ariadne), Barry McDaniel (Harlekin ) & Edita Gruberova (Zerbinetta)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti

• Mein Gott! Es was nicht mehr als eine Farce (from Der Rosenkavalier)

Régine Crespin (Marschallin), Hilde Gueden (Sophie), Elisabeth Söderström (Octavian) & Heinz Holecek (Faninal)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Silvio Varviso

• Allein. Weh’ ganz allein (from Elektra)

Birgit Nilsson (Elektra)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti

• Wehe, mein Mann! (from Die Frau ohne Schatten)

Leonie Rysanek (Kaiserin) & Judith Hellwig (Stimme des Falken)
Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm

• Salome: Dance of the Seven Veils

Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan

• Es ist kein Laut zu vernehmen (from Salome)

Anja Silja (Salome)

Performed by the Wiener Philharmoniker

Here is Renee Fleming in Richard Strauss’ Capriccio

And here is Strauss’ “DER ROSENKAVALIER” with Tomowa-Sintow as the Marschalin, with Karajan conducting in Salzburg 1984

Tags: Richard Strauss, Soprano Heroines, Rosenkavalier, Capriccio, Ariadne, Salome, Arabella