Renée Fleming - Strauss Heroines / Bonney, Graham, Eschenbach

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Why is Richard Strauss deemed by many the greatest of 20th-century opera composers? Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned fan, this disc, with its scenes of often overwhelming beauty, illustrates some of the most salient reasons. Here you'll immediately encounter Strauss's command of a sumptuous musical vocabulary and unerring instinct for creating characters of psychological depth, not to mention librettos that stand out for their literary excellence. The composer's famous love of the female voice in particular--his wife had been a highly accomplished singer--inspired him to create his most memorable characters. As performed by Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, and Barbara Bonney, the Strauss heroines featured here acquire a life and human dimension reminiscent of Mozart's genius for operatic characterization.

Fleming brings a characteristically sensuous intelligence to her Marschallin, composing a portrait at once strong-willed and eloquently vulnerable in her monologue from Act I of Rosenkavalier. The extremely broad tempo taken for the Trio allows you to glory in the emotional polyphony of these three distinctive voices as they weave together to melting, incandescent effect. Fleming continues at the top of her form with her Arabella and Countess, inflecting the long, soaring lines of Straussian melody with warmly shaded vocal coloring and an acute sensitivity to textual nuances. While clearly focusing the spotlight on these superb voices, Eschenbach massages a lushly detailed blend (if at times overromanticized and creamier than Strauss intended) from the Vienna Philharmonic. In the two excerpts from Capriccio, in which Strauss sums up a lifetime of writing for the stage, the result is breathtakingly luminous and the disc's most enrapturing sequence. On the evidence of her Countess here--which she has yet to sing on the stage--this seems destined to become one of the great Fleming roles. --Thomas May

Renée Fleming - Strauss Heroines / Bonney, Graham, Eschenbach, Music, Richard Strauss, Christoph Eschenbach, Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Wiener Philharmoniker, Walter Berry, Barbara Bonney, Johannes Chem, Classical, Classical Artists, Classical Music, Classical Vocals, German/Austrian Romantic Opera, Opera

Renée Fleming - Strauss Heroines / Bonney, Graham, Eschenbach
Average customer rating:

Glorious

Excellent Female Vocals by three stars

in with the new

Glorious Singing

Wow is the word

Renée Fleming - Strauss Heroines / Bonney, Graham, Eschenbach
Richard Strauss , Christoph Eschenbach , Renée Fleming , Susan Graham , Wiener Philharmoniker , Walter Berry , Barbara Bonney , and Johannes Chem
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000JXYZ
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

Der Rosenkavalier - Monologue Scene (Act I): Da geht er him
Der Rosenkavalier - Monologue Scene (Act I): Ach, du bist weider da!
Der Rosenkavalier - Monologue Scene (Act I): Die Zeit, die ist ein sonderbar ding
Der Rosenkavalier - Monologue Scene (Act I): Ich hab ihn nicht eimal gekusst
Der Rosenkavalier - Trio & Finale (Act III): Marie Theres! - Hab mirs gelobt
Der Rosenkavalier - Trio & Finale (Act III): Ist ein Traum
Arabella - Duet (Act I): Ich danke, Frein
Capriccio: Moonlight Music - Closing Scene
Capriccio: Wo Ist Mein Bruder?

Amazon.com essential recording

Why is Richard Strauss deemed by many the greatest of 20th-century opera composers? Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned fan, this disc, with its scenes of often overwhelming beauty, illustrates some of the most salient reasons. Here you'll immediately encounter Strauss's command of a sumptuous musical vocabulary and unerring instinct for creating characters of psychological depth, not to mention librettos that stand out for their literary excellence. The composer's famous love of the female voice in particular--his wife had been a highly accomplished singer--inspired him to create his most memorable characters. As performed by Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, and Barbara Bonney, the Strauss heroines featured here acquire a life and human dimension reminiscent of Mozart's genius for operatic characterization.

Fleming brings a characteristically sensuous intelligence to her Marschallin, composing a portrait at once strong-willed and eloquently vulnerable in her monologue from Act I of Rosenkavalier. The extremely broad tempo taken for the Trio allows you to glory in the emotional polyphony of these three distinctive voices as they weave together to melting, incandescent effect. Fleming continues at the top of her form with her Arabella and Countess, inflecting the long, soaring lines of Straussian melody with warmly shaded vocal coloring and an acute sensitivity to textual nuances. While clearly focusing the spotlight on these superb voices, Eschenbach massages a lushly detailed blend (if at times overromanticized and creamier than Strauss intended) from the Vienna Philharmonic. In the two excerpts from Capriccio, in which Strauss sums up a lifetime of writing for the stage, the result is breathtakingly luminous and the disc's most enrapturing sequence. On the evidence of her Countess here--which she has yet to sing on the stage--this seems destined to become one of the great Fleming roles. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Glorious.......2007-01-12

As I hoped this CD has some of the finest music on CD.
Renee is outstanding and her partners must be up to her standard and they are .It is good to hear this music by Strauss without havung to sit through hours of stuff.
I did winz a little at the boudoir seting of the photos.

Excellent Female Vocals by three stars.......2006-06-08

'Strauss Heroines' headlines soprano Renee Fleming, but it is wise for you to note that her costars are the excellent soprano Barbara Bonney and mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, both of which have done excellent recordings of their own.

From my point of view, one who simply listens to classical music for enjoyment and who has little technical knowledge with with to evaluate vocal performances, this album is a great change from the more common performances of Shubert or Shumann lieder or Berlioz or Debussy chansoms. While there is some definite sense of Wagnerian influence, the pieces form 'Der Rosenkavalier', 'Arabella', and 'Capriccio' are much lighter than Herr Wagner and even lighter than some contemporary Italian and French arias.

This is good stuff, with enough differences to make it well worth a purchase.

in with the new.......2006-03-15

I am thankful to Renee Fleming and few other newer opera stars, such as Villazon, Gheorgieu,Alagana, Netrebko. Because of them and thru them this art form will continue. It baffles me some of the critics that just can't let go of the old timers, the dinosaures of opera. Tho I love them too, that is where i began my young journey. Wake up, at least it will live on. This cd is marvelous. I had not heard any Strauss so because of Fleming I puchasedf it, and many others. The beauty and grace of her voice and the other sopranos is just down right divine. I encourage people to open their minds and spirits. My next experience will be seeing her and Villazon in La Traviata. Wow cannot wait

Glorious Singing.......2005-12-11

"Strauss Heriones" has the best known post-Elektra Strauss nonmythical heroine arias and duets, done by the three most talented American sopranos on the scene today. It can stand alone. It also makes a great addition to anyone's favorite Strauss opera collection of Der Rosenkavalier, Arabella and Capriccio. The emphasis is squarely on the vocal. What glorious vocal it is! This is my desert island CD.

Wow is the word.......2005-10-18

This recording is just pure gold and I can't believe it isn't more widely regarded as a the standard upon which these amazing Strauss scenes are based upon. In the first track, Fleming abandon's attempts at vocal beauty to give us bare dramatic committment to the text (and for Fleming, let's be honest, no matter hard she tries, she's never be able to get rid of that vocal beauty). The Rosenkavalir trio is swimming in heavenly sung silk. It's as close to perfection as music and the human voice gets. Graham hearty earth tones, Fleming's creamy chocolate middle, and Bonney's light heavenly lilt, add up to a Rosenkavalier trio that you probably shouldn't listen to while driving. The Capriccio final scene is just great. Such committment again to the text. And of course the high notes and hearty power all just add up to great drama and great beautiful music. So pure is the Fleming sound! It's really quite unbelievable. The only Capriccio final scene I could compare this to is Kiri te Kanawa's. Both are different and very special in there own way. What a great album.

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