Anne Sofie von Otter - Folksongs (Dvorak, Kodaly, Britten, Grainger, Larsson, Hahn)

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter a folkie? Most definitely: she and Bengt Forsberg have been sold on folksong in its various manifestations for years. But anyone with scruples about the brown-rice-and-sandals approach to such music need have no fears. This is quite simply a ravishing collection, with enough musical merit to satisfy the most hardhearted skeptic. Having said that, the term "folksong" here is loosely applied. The pieces by Dvorák, Larsson, and Reynaldo Hahn are inspired by folk music instead of arrangements. No matter--this is such a clever selection, embracing warm and winning Dvorák; bittersweet, wistful Grainger; passionate, romantic Reynaldo Hahn; and earthy Kodály (closest to authentic folksong) and Britten arrangements with all of the familiar inventiveness. In addition, there are attractive songs from Otter's compatriots Lars-Erik Larsson and Gunnar Hahn. As ever, Otter's singing displays much freshness, intelligence, and poise, as well as identification with every mood (the range is staggering for a "mere" folksong album). What's more, she encompasses six languages with ease (plus a rustic British accent in the Grainger that sounds uncannily natural). Forsberg's playing is a delight--the whole thing is a delight. Don't deprive your CD player of a treat. --Andrew Green

Tracks:

Kiss Of The Wind
Grass Sings Under Wandering Feet
The Cloud, The Flower And The Lark
Peonies
Take My Heart
On The Reef
Amazing Day
The Song Of The Sea
Old Dance
A Moment In Time
The Anemones
If I Could Be Tears
On The Sea
When You Close My Eyes
You Make Everything Beautiful
Blessed It Is To Wait
From The Depths Of My Soul
You Are My Aphrodite
Like A Wave
The Meadow Where You Kissed Me
Apple-trees And Pear-trees
And The Knight Rode To The Holy Land
To A Rose
Winter In My Heart
What Do I Want?
The Judgment
A Summer Morning
Serenad
The Amazon
I Am Tired To Death
Is It You, Most Beloved Child
Take Me
May We Be Happy

Amazon.com

Anne Sofie Von Otter is a born singer of songs, and this collection of Swedish miniatures dating from about 1910 to the 1950s are easy to relate to both in their Romanticism and the direct, unaffected manner in which the fine mezzo puts each across. In Ture Rangström's "En gammal dansrytm" (Old Dance), she uncharacteristically slides into the song in a sultry fashion; it makes you sit up and listen. She rarely brings any darkness into her tone. In keeping with the CD's title, we get soft, Northern light in both her tone and pianist Bengt Forsberg's--and by so avoiding any false sense of drama, each song's subject, particularly the ones about nature are, well, natural. But when something else is called for, as in Bo Linde's "Är jag intill döden trött" ("I Am Tired to Death"), von Otter knows how to emphasize the text amost conversationally. This lovely collection of pastels occasionally threatens to evaporate, but close attention reveal true delights. The mezzo is in fine voice, with no "opera diva" behavior to get in the way of the songs' charms. A specialized collection, perhaps, but one which reaps fine rewards. --Robert Levine

Anne Sofie von Otter - Folksongs (Dvorak, Kodaly, Britten, Grainger, Larsson, Hahn)

Average customer rating:

Artful singing, but 35 folksongs in 6 languages produces indigestion
Perfect blend of art song and folksong

Anne Sofie von Otter - Folksongs (Dvorak, Kodaly, Britten, Grainger, Larsson, Hahn)
Antonin Dvorak , Zoltan Kodaly , Benjamin Britten , Percy Grainger , Lars-Erik Larsson , Gunnar Hahn , Reynaldo Hahn , Anne Sofie von Otter , and Bengt Forsberg
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Otter, Anne Sophie von | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00004TL2P
Release Date: 2000-07-18

Tracks:

Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 1. I Chant My Lay
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 2. My Triangle
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 3. Silent And Lone
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 4. Songs My Mother Taught Me
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 5. Tune Thy Strings
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 6, In His Wide Linen Vesture
Zigeunermelodien op. 55: 7. Cloudy Heights Of Tatra
13 Folksongs: 5. The Sprig Of Thyme
13 Folksongs: 3. Died For Love
13 Folksongs: 7. British Waterside (Or The Jolly Sailor)
13 Folksongs: 6. The Pretty Maid Milkin' Her Cow
12 Visor: Watercolor
12 Visor: The Box Painter
12 Visor: The Girl With The Divining-Herb
Hjarterovet - The Heart's Prey: A Song From Lapland
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 1. On The Drowsy Waters
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 2. The Little Boat
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 3. The Warning
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 4. The Fair Maid In The Gondola
Venezia Songs In Venetian Dialect: 5. What a Shame!
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 5. Little Apple Fell Into The Mud
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 50. Drinking Wine On Sunday
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 27. Youth Is Like A Falcon
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 57. Let No-One's Bride Bewail
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 30. All Through The Vineyard
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 48. Hey, The Price Of Wine From Mohovce Hill
Magyar Nepzene Hungarian Folk Music: 55. Beneath The Csitar Hills
French Folksongs: 1. The Orphan And King Henry
French Folksongs: 2. Hear The Voice Of Spring
French Folksongs: 3. The Spinner
French Folksongs: 4. The King Is Gone a-Hunting
French Folksongs: 5. Beauty In Love's Garden
French Folksongs: 6. There's Someone In My Fancy
French Folksongs: 7. Eho! Eho!
French Folksongs: 8. Heigh ho, Heigh hi!

Amazon.com

Mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter a folkie? Most definitely: she and Bengt Forsberg have been sold on folksong in its various manifestations for years. But anyone with scruples about the brown-rice-and-sandals approach to such music need have no fears. This is quite simply a ravishing collection, with enough musical merit to satisfy the most hardhearted skeptic. Having said that, the term "folksong" here is loosely applied. The pieces by Dvorák, Larsson, and Reynaldo Hahn are inspired by folk music instead of arrangements. No matter--this is such a clever selection, embracing warm and winning Dvorák; bittersweet, wistful Grainger; passionate, romantic Reynaldo Hahn; and earthy Kodály (closest to authentic folksong) and Britten arrangements with all of the familiar inventiveness. In addition, there are attractive songs from Otter's compatriots Lars-Erik Larsson and Gunnar Hahn. As ever, Otter's singing displays much freshness, intelligence, and poise, as well as identification with every mood (the range is staggering for a "mere" folksong album). What's more, she encompasses six languages with ease (plus a rustic British accent in the Grainger that sounds uncannily natural). Forsberg's playing is a delight--the whole thing is a delight. Don't deprive your CD player of a treat. --Andrew Green

Customer Reviews:

Artful singing, but 35 folksongs in 6 languages produces indigestion.......2006-07-20

I was proud of the Gramophone reviewer for dutifully pointing out all the virutes of this CD and then declaring that he got little enjoyment from it. Me, either. Expert as von Otter is at singing in six languages from her native Swedish to English, Italian, and Hungarian, it feels like a stunt. Does she really care about all 35 folk songs, some as diverse as chalk and cheese? We get Dvorak's tamed gypsy songs (in German) meant for the Victorian parlor singer, gentle Swedish melodies as simple as pie (the best thhing here), folky, plain-faced versions of English song from Grainger, and hyper-sophisticated Italina and French songs from Hahn and Britten that barely expose their folk roots.

Von Otter herself, abetted by her longtime accompanist Bengt Forsberg, tries too hard to sell this gallimaufry, applying all manner of odd, sometimes aggressive attack and phrasing. Of course, she is a major artist, so I will leave this CD to fans who might love it. Personally, I fidgeted much of the time.

Perfect blend of art song and folksong.......2000-08-27

Don't be too misled by the title of this recital: although the odd nymph and shepherd does crop up and the collection includes Dvorak's "Songs my mother taught me", there is very little "hey nonnie no" or "fa la la" to be had. Most of the songs are not traditional folksongs and even those that are, are given the "art song" treatment by their composers. The songs by Grainger en Kodaly have the most "authentic" and earthy feel to them, whereas the others smack of the concert hall or salon. Even having said that, one can hardly imagine the natives of the countries of origin might intone any of these songs around a campfire of an evening.

What we have here is a highly sophisticated collection of songs with their roots somewhere in the nationalist musical movement, which started flourishing in the early nineteenth century. As the enlightening notes suggest, they are the products of a fusion between the folk tradition and the classical. Selected with obvious care by Anne Sofie von Otter and Bengt Forsberg, these songs speak very directly to the listener and often disguise their artistry behind accessibility.

The opening cycle of "Gypsy Songs" by Dvorak (op. 55) are immediately beguiling and the famous standard mentioned above is sure to stun most people who, like me, have only heard it in it's syrupy orchestral incarnation. Von Otter weaves her magic web through these songs with such effect that the four Grainger songs that follow are almost a shock: earthy and seemingly simplistic they transport the listener to a completely different world. "The pretty main milkin' her cow" is achingly beautiful and, like so many really good things in life, over far too soon. Four short Swedish songs follow, leading onto five "Venetian" songs by Reynaldo Hahn. To me, these are the greatest revelation on the disc: highly romantic with sensual rippling accompaniment, three of them tell sensuous tales of seduction aboard gondolas. Von Otter makes the most of the ample opportunities to seduce with subtle nuances and shading of words. The effect is masterful.

The seven Kodaly songs that follow cannot be further from the romantic Venice envisaged by Hahn, the lyrics often bitingly cynical, with driving rhythms and brilliantly realized accompaniment. Here Von Otter assumes a very different voice and the effect is often strident. The final song, "Beneath the Csitar Hills", however, is tender and intimate, despite some strange sentiments being expressed.

The recital ends with eight arrangements of French folksongs by Benjamin Britten and a fitting finale it is. Simple melodic lines are woven into a rich fabric of music, which reaches into the soul. "Il est quelqu'un sur terre" (track 33) is perhaps one of the poignant songs on the whole recital. Von Otter bleeds colour out of her voice to express the desperation of the singer as the wheel, central metaphor to the song, churns away in the accompaniment. The disc is worth buying for this track alone.

Anne Sofie von Otter and Bengt Forsberg have long established themselves as one of the most brilliant partnerships in recording history and this recital can do nothing but confirm their status as such. It is an achievement not to be missed.

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