Wagner from Furtwängler and Flagstad

Richard Wagner in 1871

Continuing a series of conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler in programs of famous works, today we hear him and the Vienna Philharmonic in the music of Richard Wagner.

The program concludes with (and switches orchestras for) the final scene of Götterdämerung, with soprano Kirsten Flagstad as Brünnhilde. The Philharmonia is the orchestra for this famous recording.

These overtures, preludes and other excerpts are all what are sometimes called "bleeding chunks," an epithet that seems to have driven them from the concert hall. Well, I happen to love these pieces as the brilliant works they are. And these Furtwängler recordings are among the finest of their kind.

It is often said that Furtwängler's live performances were more powerful than his records. The critic Andrew Porter referred to this in his obituary for the conductor:

His monument, so far as the gramophone is concerned, is the complete Tristan und Isolde. Fidelio, the Beethoven and Brahms symphonies, will be treasured; the Mozart, the Schubert and the Haydn discs are valuable. But something of the incandescence that one knew in the concert hall and the opera house is gone from them. In the Tristan it remains, and also in those Wagner extracts, the final scene from Götterdämmerung with Flagstad and the Philharmonia Orchestra, recorded at the same time as Tristan, and the Rhine Journey and Funeral Music with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. It is to these records that we shall turn first when we wish to show our children what manner of great conductor he was.

And it is to many of those records that we turn today. 

Die Meistersinger: Prelude and Dance of the Apprentices

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg) is famed as Wagner's only comedy. Set in the 16th century Reformation, it concerns the guilds of the time, with the Mastersingers devoting their talents to music.

The Prelude is an intricate piece of music that stands marvelously well on its own (as do most of the works in this program). Of this performance, W.R. Anderson in The Gramophone wrote: "Our friends [i.e., the conductor and orchestra] at their best, I think: scarcely a twinge, and above all, dignity, breadth, and a reproduction conveying full tonal virility and blend. The reverberation period of the chamber seems just right."

Ad in The Gramophone, 1950

This transfer comes from a German EMI (Electrola) reissue "Unvergessen (Unforgettable) Wilhelm Furtwängler." The LP was processed in the label's then-popular synthetic stereo, which I have turned into mono. The sound is quite good for 1949.

The Prelude is accompanied by short and delightful "Dance of the Apprentices" from Act III. This is followed in the opera and on most concert programs by the "Procession of the Masters." But not here - the dance was used as a fill-up on the 78 set and apparently there wasn't room for the Masters to promenade on that particular side.

Lohengrin Prelude; Tannhäuser Overture

Furtwängler's 1954 recording of the Prelude to Lohengrin is coupled here with his 1952 traversal of the Overture to Tannhäuser. These are splendid performances of what used to be concert staples. Denis Stevens wrote in The Gramophone that they are "well played and excellently recorded, and there is an impressively wide dynamic range in the Tannhäuser Overture, where the woodwind engages our attention by its splendid ensemble work."

Ad in The Gramophone, 1955

Stevens also makes me happy by casting aspersions on the LP's bedmate, Liszt's Les Preludes (not included here): "One of Furtwängler's most remarkable qualities was his ability to lend an air of epic majesty even to the relatively meretricious productions of certain 19th century composers who should have known better."

Siegfried Idyll

Let me call in Wikipedia to set the scene of this Romantic masterwork: "Wagner composed the Siegfried Idyll as a birthday present to his second wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried in 1869. It was first performed on Christmas morning, 25 December 1870, by a small ensemble of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich on the stairs of their villa at Tribschen (today part of Lucerne), Switzerland. Cosima awoke to its opening melody."

The composer wrote the piece for a small ensemble, later publishing a version for an orchestra of 35. I suspect Furtwängler (like many conductors) employed a larger ensemble for his 1949 recording.

Lionel Salter was taken with the performance in The Gramophone: "The immediate thing which strikes one about this recording is the sensuous beauty of the string tone, warm and caressing, pure and beautifully controlled. The violins in the Vienna Phil. not only have perfect unanimity ... but they are obviously all real artists."

Note: this now contains the complete performance. Originally I inadvertently posted a truncated version. Thanks to dgrb for his note about this!

Götterdämmerung - Siegfried's Rhine Journey and Funeral Music

The program notes of the Los Angeles Philharmonic set the scene: "'Siegfried’s Rhine Journey' functions as an orchestral interlude between the Prologue and Act I of Götterdämmerung, as Brünnhilde sends Siegfried off to seek new adventures, riding her horse and carrying her shield toward the Rhine and his fate. The music progresses from the near silence of the dawn (in the brass) to moments of intense string writing that gives way to the 'Hero' motive as Siegfried sets out on his river journey."

Ad in The Gramophone, 1949

Götterdämmerung is of course the final opera in Wagner's so-called "Ring cycle" - more formally Der Ring des Nibelungen. And Siegfried here is not Wagner's son, he is the son of Siegmund, the mortal son of Wotan, king of the gods. Brünnhilde, Siegfried's lover, is the immortal daughter of Wotan and Erda, the goddess of earth, wisdom and prophecy.

More from the LA Philharmonic: "Following his murder at the hands of Hagen, the death knell of 'Siegfried’s Funeral March' opens with funereal timpani as Siegfried’s body is placed on his shield and carried off by the vassals. The music vacillates from deep mourning and rage-filled outbursts to the majesty of the 'Hero' motif, brought out in bold relief at the center of the movement."

Alec Robertson in The Gramophone on this performance: "Siegfried’s Journey is not so brightly recorded as on Toscanini’s disc and seems a little foggy at the start: but the noble performance of the Funeral Music, in which the conductor dispenses with the ritardandos that very slightly marred his earlier 78's recording, is better recorded than before, and is, indeed, excellent. Be warned to listen to these pieces first of all. The Closing Scene is so tremendous that nothing can be heard after it for some considerable time!"

This comment leads us on to the end of this program, below.

Götterdämmerung - Brünnhilde's Immolation Scene

Wilhelm Furtwängler and Kirsten Flagstad

The LA Phil annotator again: "Upon removing the ring from Siegfried’s finger, Brünnhilde orders his funeral pyre to be built and launches into the 'Immolation' aria. The fire spreads to Valhalla, bringing about the death of the gods and the destruction of the old order, accompanied by many of the leitmotifs heard throughout all four operas."

As I mentioned above, this is a renowned recording. Alec Robertson's comments in The Gramophone: 

This magnificent recording of the Closing Scene from Die Götterdämmerung awakens the keenest regret that steps were not taken to record the whole of The Ring before Kirsten Flagstad’s retirement. Brünnhilde was her finest part and one with which she identified herself more completely than she was always able to do with Isolde, wonderful though her singing of that part was. But we must be thankful for what we have. There is the superb complete recording of Tristan: and now with the great singer in as fine a voice, Furtwängler and the orchestra as inspired as in that set, and a recording as worthy of them all, there is this outstanding issue. As the first bars sound, one feels the thrill that heralds a great performance: and it is indeed, and superlatively, that.

The download includes texts and English translations of the scene.

The LPs above were made for the German market; the notes are entirely in that language. I've included Google Translate versions of each back cover, which provide English versions.

LINK to the complete Furtwängler Wagner program

More from Furtwängler and Flagstad

One of the finest vocal compositions of the 20th century was the set of Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss. We are fortunate to have an exceedingly beautiful and touching live recording of the first performance, given in 1950 by Flagstad, Furtwängler and the Philharmonia Orchestra in the Albert Hall. The problem is that the only surviving copy of the recording was a set of battered transcription disks, which have been transcribed several times over the years.

I have now revisited and improved the gritty sound on my copy of the recording, which I first offered in 2018. The results can be found in the original post here, together with a more modern recording of the songs featuring soprano Elisabeth Söderström.

A Brahms Program with Furtwängler and Menuhin

Programs with the eminent conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler have met with approval from readers, so today we offer another edition, this one delving into the music of Johannes Brahms for the first time.

As he was in the Beethoven concerto, Furtwängler is joined by Yehudi Menuhin for a performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto. The conductor then leads a performance of Brahms' final symphony, the Fourth.

Johannes Brahms, circa 1866

In his book on Furtwängler's recordings, John Ardoin has this to day about Brahms: "By training, inclination, and nature, Brahms was more a classicist [that a romantic] ... Yet beneath his classic exterior beat a fervent heart, and it is in the interior of Brahms's music that we discover, as Furtwängler did, its true meaning and essence."

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77

The Violin Concerto was set down in a recording session in summer 1949, presumably during the Lucerne Festival and using the festival orchestra.

Those who listened to the Beethoven concerto recently featured here will know that Furtwängler and Menuhin were very much in harmony. John Ardoin had this to say: "The recording ... of the Brahms Violin Concerto is not only their finest collaboration on disc, but it stands as one of Furtwängler's major studio performances. What took place during these sessions and what resulted are best described by Menuhin: 'The great classics were in Furtwangler's blood. He never gave the impression of a deliberate conception; he merely released the work, and indeed the musicians, who never failed to be inspired.'

"The rapport between Furtwängler and Menuhin is ideal in this spacious, uncomplicated, even-tempered performance. It is filled with eloquent phrasing and deeply felt emotions."

Furtwängler and Menuhin at a recording session

The critic of The Gramophone had these thoughts: "The balancing and dove-tailing of the solo and orchestral parts are accomplished to perfection, and, what is more, I am glad to note that Furtwangler faithfully observes Brahms’s fairly lavish dynamic indications...

"His [Menuhin's] playing of the first movement is fine, spacious, and intense. In the slow movement his tone and phrasing do full justice to the poetry of the music, and the emotional expression is properly controlled. The Finale is thrown off deftly and with the right amount of abandon. The playing of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra is very good, although the place where the recording was made would appear to be a little too resonant."

Actually, I prefer a bit of distance between the orchestra and listener, unlike the close-up perspective that would later become common. It also is in keeping with the broadcast sound of the fourth symphony below. This is deservedly a famous performance.

This transfer is from what was likely the first LP issue, put out by RCA Victor in about 1950, when EMI in England and (I believe) Germany had not yet adopted the long-playing format. At the time Victor itself was trying to interest classical listeners in its seven-inch 45-rpm format, without much success. An artifact of that effort can be seen in the cover design, which uses the 45 box artwork inset in a 12-inch frame.

LINK to Violin Concerto

Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

Unlike the Furtwängler performances presented here to date, this recording of the Brahms fourth symphony comes from a broadcast rather than a recording session. It captures the conductor and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in an October 24, 1948 date in Berlin's Titania-Palast, a movie theater that the orchestra often used for radio appearances and recording sessions.

Titania-Palast

It's often said that the conductor's live performances were "better" than his records. This is an assertion that is impossible to validate, but we can say that this is a very good reading of a symphony that is notoriously hard to bring off - or at least the concluding passacaglia thereof.

Ardoin on this performance: "Everything Furtwängler accomplishes in the finale reflects and grows out of Brahms's marking of allegro energico e passionato. It is fast, it has energy, and above all it is streaked with passion. Along with these qualities, there is also a dizzying senses of controlled abandon ... It is an elation that carries us through the sectional character of the movement, binds the variations tightly together, and peaks in a coda that is Dionysian in its frenzy. Within this high-powered expenditure of energy and passion there is an amazing island of repose - the espressivo variation for solo flute, set against the woodwinds and accompanying strings.

"The potential for this momentary release of tension before the great final push is, of course, a feature of the movement, but few conductors have seized upon its possibilities to such a concentrated extent, and used them to such high dramatic purpose as Furtwangler has."

The passacaglia's theme is adapted from a chaconne theme in Bach's cantata BWV 150, Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich - reflecting the composer's reverence for great music of an earlier era.

The relentless ending of the passacaglia is often sometimes to the inevitability of fate. However, in tis performance it is less fate that seems inevitable than the genius of the classical tradition that Brahms upheld.

The sound from this broadcast is very good. My transfer is from its first issue on LP, which German EMI (Electrola) put out in the 1950s. The back cover notes were entirely in German, so I have added a version with a good English translation, courtesy of Google.

LINK to Symphony No. 4

A Second Beethoven Program, with Furtwängler and Fischer

The blog has recently featured a few posts with the famed conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler. Today we continue the series with a second program devoted to Beethoven.

Like the first such post, this one includes an overture, a concerto and a symphony - a typical concert program, although here the performances come from three different years and two different orchestras. Yet they are cohesive.

The orchestras are the Vienna Philharmonic and the Philharmonia of London. Pianist Edwin Fischer is the soloist.

Fidelio Overture, Op. 72b

I tried to clarify the muddle of the various Beethoven's Leonore/Fidelio overtures in my earlier post: "Beethoven wrote no fewer than four overtures for his only opera, which eventually was called Fidelio. The original title was Leonore, after one of the leading characters, and three of the overtures carry her name." Here the conductor programs the final, more succinct Fidelio overture, in a splendid performance with the Vienna Philharmonic dating from 1953 - taken from a complete recording of the opera.

The Fidelio overture provides a rousing concert opener, making its full effect here under one of the most significant conductors of the 20th century.

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73

Similar to the recording of the Violin Concerto, for the Piano Concerto No. 5, Furtwängler allied himself to a kindred spirit - Edwin Fischer was the soloist here; Yehudi Menuhin for the violin work.

Just as with Menuhin, Fischer described the conductor as being in tune with the divine. Here is an excerpt from his remembrances: "[I]n all those who heard him [i.e., Furtwängler], a part of him lives on, as in him a part of the spirit of Beethoven lived on, a precious gift of divine origin."

Fischer added, "How I know from my own experience what peace his grandeur emanated, as his sure and beautiful hand led the excitement of his soloist back to the clear path of the composition and forced him into the service of the work - as he himself during his whole life knew only one task, to be a loving and humble servant in the great temple of immortal Art."

Edwin Fischer and Wilhelm Furtwängler

Of course, some disagreed. The English critic Thomas Heinitz described the recording of the seventh symphony below as follows: "[T]his is the kind of performance to which Ernest Newman referred when recently he wrote: 'Furtwängler conducted, and, as is his way, made it a "conductor's piece" rather than a composer's work.' Furtwängler's readings of Beethoven contain an element of arrogance ('I know best, never mind what the score says') as well as an unpleasant striving after effects in order to 'bring down the house.'" This view of the conductor as knave is certainly much different from Fischer's or Menuhin's opinions. It's also unfair, to my mind.

The "fidelity to the score" concept was associated with Furtwängler's great rival, Toscanini, and is echoed in the recordings of the later, historically informed performance conductors such as Roger Norrington and Christopher Hogwood.

Despite the caviling above, this is a superb performance of the concerto, with soloist, conductor and the Philharmonia Orchestra all in prime form. Fischer's magnificent tone quality is something to hear. The recording is from 1951.

Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

This is a particularly fine recording of the seventh symphony, although the sonics displayed too much of the empty hall sound of the Musikvereinsaal in Vienna, and not enough of that city's Philharmonic. I've clarified the atmosphere as much as possible.

The reactions to Furtwängler's recordings in the US were often ambiguous and any praise seemed grudging. Here is the New York Times' Harold Schoenberg discussing several of Furtwängler's records, including this one: "For the most part, the conductor refrains from the eccentric, primadonnish mannerisms that sometimes mar his work, and he makes the orchestra sound like the great ensemble it is. On an ultimate critical level, the Toscanini or Krips 'Unfinished' might be preferable, and there are several versions of Beethoven's A major that are on a par with Furtwängler's; but certainly there is no better Mozart G minor on LP, and in no instance do any of these interpretations descend to a secondary level."

After reading that, you may be surprised to hear the exalted, powerful performance of the seventh symphony it describes. The disc dates from 1950.

LINK

September 1951 ad in The Gramophone

Furtwängler Returns with Schumann and Beethoven

The great conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler has more fans among Big 10 readers than I would have suspected. So to follow up on my recent post of him leading Beethoven, here he is with more from that composer, along with two works by Robert Schumann.

The recordings are with the Berlin Philharmonic (unless otherwise stated) and date from 1947-53.

Before we get to the music, why does Furtwängler hold our attention even today? Here is critic Andrew Porter following the conductor's death:

"[H]e played Beethoven's symphonies, and Brahms's and all music for that matter, as if he were playing them for the first time, the only time. A lifetime’s study and the full concentration of the man was going into this one, particular performance.

"More than any other conductor he loved Klangschönheit [sonority], and delighted in sheer beauty of tone; and he ensured with loving rehearsal an intimate balance of orchestral detail. Perhaps there was a lack of driving rhythmic impulse in long movements: but it arose less from preoccupation with passing beauties than as a result of large-scale mountings of tension."

Porter's testimonial, which appeared in The Gramophone, is included in the download.

Schumann - Manfred Overture

If this cover looks familiar, it's because I included one of the works therein on my first survey of Furtwängler's art - Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 2. I had a request for the other item - Schumann's Manfred Overture, so here it is. A different recording of Leonore No. 2 is also in this set. 

The Manfred overture is heard much more often than the other pieces of incidental music that the composer wrote that were inspired by Lord Byron's 1817 poem. It's a splendid piece - don't be put off by the ragged opening here; the performance proves worthy of the work. The recording is from 1951.

Schumann - Symphony No. 4

Schumann's final symphony, written in 1841, was revised for publication a decade later, five years before his death. The work exists in two versions - the original and the later version. Brahms himself had the original published, much to Clara Schumann's displeasure. I believe this recording uses the later version.

I love Schumann's symphonies; this is a grand performance of No. 4. The 1953 sound is particularly good.

Beethoven - Egmont Overture; Leonore Overture No. 2

Similar to Manfred, Beethoven's Egmont Overture is the first item in a set of incidental music, in this case written for a 1787 play by Goethe. The composer premiered the work in 1810. It extols the 16th-century nobleman Lamoral, Count of Egmont from the Low Countries, who was condemned to death for resisting oppression.

The stirring composition is one of Beethoven's greatest and most popular. Furtwängler's performance with the Berlin Philharmonic dates from 1947.

The curious case of Beethoven's four overtures for his opera Fidelio (earlier titled Leonore) was explained in my first post devoted to this conductor. This is a different recording from the one discussed there. That was a 1954 recording; this one comes from 1949. It's not clear why the conductor remade the piece so quickly, although the reason might simply be that they were done for two different companies (Electrola vs. Deutsche Grammophon).

It remains to be said that Furtwängler's live performances are generally considered to be superior to his studio efforts. I don't find that to be the case, but it is a common opinion.

Furtwängler had an unusual conducting style (which probably had something to do with the imprecise opening of Manfred noted above). You can see it in a 1950 film of him leading Strauss' Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche - not my favorite music, but indicative of the eminent conductor in front of an orchestra.

Hope you enjoy this latest taste of the conductor's artistry - not to mention that of Schumann and Beethoven.

LINK

A Beethoven Program with Furtwängler and Menuhin

Here is a program devoted to Beethoven featuring recordings by one of the most famous 20th century conductors - Wilhelm Furtwängler. The soloist is violinist Yehudi Menuhin.

These recordings were made late in the conductor's career - from 1952 to 1954. Furtwängler died in late 1954 at age 68.

The program begins with Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 2, followed by the Violin Concerto and the Symphony No. 3.

Furtwängler was often contrasted with the other preeminent conductor of his time - Arturo Toscanini. Here is the critic Neville Cardus in a tribute published following Furtwängler's death: "[He] conducted in a manner exactly opposed to the Toscanini objectivity: in plainer words, he did not regard the printed notes of the score as a final statement, but rather as so many symbols of an imaginative conception, ever changing and always to be felt and realized subjectively. His variations and tempo often irritated musicians who, in increasing numbers during a period of anti-romanticism, persuaded themselves to believe in music as an arrangement of patterns conveying no emotion or meaning reducible to terms or language related to merely human or egoistical significance."

Furtwängler paradoxically conducted in a manner than appeared improvisational, while also seeming to penetrate to the work's essence - at least to his admirers, of whom there are still many. He was a remarkable figure.

Leonore Overture No. 2, Op. 72a

Beethoven wrote no fewer than four overtures for his only opera, which eventually was called Fidelio. The original title was Leonore, after one of the leading characters, and three of the overtures carry her name. Furtwängler programmed the Leonore Overture No. 2, Op. 72a, which, to add to the confusion, was actually the first Beethoven composed. It is quite long (this performance lasts almost 16 minutes); the others were more succinct.

Here is Timothy Judd's precis of the opera: "The plot centers on a heroic struggle for liberty: Leonore, disguised as a male prison guard named Fidelio, rescues her husband Florestan from political imprisonment and death by gradual starvation."

Judd then discusses Op. 72a: "The Overture opens with a titanic unison G which gives way to a searching, descending, modal scale - a musical descent into the darkness of Florestan’s prison cell ... A few moments later, the theme from Florestan’s soliloquy offers a glimmer of light amid mystery and lonely solitude. This music is filled with a sense of heroic struggle, an intense longing for freedom, and Florestan’s thoughts of Leonore ... Just as Leonore Overture No. 2 reaches a climax of ferocity,  a sudden, distant trumpet call is heard, signaling Florestan’s impending freedom. At first, there is numb shock and disbelief. Then, the Overture’s final bars erupt into a joyful, unabashed celebration of freedom."

The recording, with the Berlin Philharmonic, is from 1954.

Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61

Yehudi Menuhin recorded several concertos with Furtwängler, with whom he had a great affinity. On a broadcast following the conductor's death, he stated, "Furtwängler was perhaps the last exponent of a tradition carrying us as far back as the Indians and the Greeks, a tradition of music as a hallowed link with divinity, with the Gods. As we all too tritely say, nothing is sacred today, but I believe something should be and some music should be. Furtwängler accomplished a sacred rite each time he conducted a Beethoven or a Brahms or a Bach work."

Wilhelm Furtwängler and Yehudi Menuhin

Their recording of the Violin Concerto is a classic. The Gramophone's verdict: "This [is] an exhibition of superb fiddling, but there is in the performance also a poise, a spaciousness and depth of musical feeling for which it would be less than just not to suggest that Furtwängler was equally responsible ... Menuhin gives a magnificent reading of the work (not without deviations from the printed notes in a couple of places) which will stand the test of the most searching analysis and more than satisfy those whom the perfect recording has long eluded."

Furtwängler and Menuhin recorded the work in London with the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1953.

Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 (Eroica)

Beethoven first wanted to name his third symphony "Bonaparte" in honor of Napoleon. But after Napoleon declared himself emperor - to the composer's dismay - Beethoven changed the title to "Eroica," or the "Heroic Symphony, Composed to celebrate the memory of a great man."

The cover of this original Electrola LP may lead you to think that the "hero" was the conductor, but in actuality this is a famous performance that is true to Beethoven's intentions. The critic Michael Marcus wrote: "The performance is a great one. Here Furtwängler shows incomparably how to extract the utmost meaning from any phrase while never losing sight of the over-all design. The lead into the coda of the first movement is a masterpiece of sustained and controlled tension, and in the coda itself the giant stride of the composer's imagination is unforgettably unleashed. The Finale, too, is welded together with supreme force and vigour, and the Vienna Philharmonic horns are superb."

Furtwängler attempted to penetrate to the core of the work; and in that aim he was not different from that of Roger Norrington in the recording of the Ninth Symphony recently heard here. Their methods, however, were opposed, with the younger maestro seeking insight from Beethoven's markings and the evidence as to the instruments and sound of the orchestra in the early 19th century, while Furtwängler, as Menuhin put it, was an exponent of "a tradition of music as a hallowed link with divinity." In contrast, Norrington remarked that conducting is "not about consecrating a sacred object. It’s about exploring and being curious and having fun."

The Furtwängler Eroica recording was made in late 1952 in Vienna.

The sound on all these discs is quite good.

LINK

Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs with Flagstad and Söderström

Wilhelm Furtwängler and Kirsten Flagstad

This post was occasioned by nothing so much as my wanting to listen to Richard Strauss's set of Four Last Songs. In the event, I ended up transferring two performances: the premiere of 1950 with Kirsten Flagstad, Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and a 1982 recording from Elisabeth Söderström and the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, with Richard Armstrong conducting.

Strauss composed the group of songs in 1948, when he was 84, asking that Flagstad premiere them. He was to die the following year. This recording is a transcription of the first performance from the Royal Albert Hall in May 1950. It originates from a somewhat noisy set of acetates that cannot obscure the remarkable performance from Flagstad, the greatest Wagnerian soprano of her time; Furtwängler, whom many consider to be the finest conductor of the 20th century; and the Philharmonia, one of the premiere ensembles of the postwar era. Flagstad's voice is astonishing in its effortless power.

For contrast, I chose the superb singing actor Elisabeth Söderström in an all-Strauss program that as far as I know has not been reissued. Her version of the Four Last Songs is complemented by scenes from two Strauss operas - the Marschallin's monologue from Der Rosenkavalier and the closing scene from Capriccio. While Sir Richard Armstrong and his Welsh forces are hardly as celebrated as Furtwängler and the Philharmonia, they acquit themselves very well here, and Söderström is affecting throughout the program.

I cleaned up as much of the noise on the Flagstad performance as I could, while addressing the balance and pitch problems found on the Turnabout LP I used for the transfer. The final measures of "Im Abendrot" are missing, unfortunately. The sound from the Söderström LP is good.

[Note (March 2026): both performances have now been further refined. The Flagstad recording is much improved.]

Söderström follows the published sequence of the songs - "Frühling," "September," "Beim Schlafengehen" and "Im Abendrot." Flagstad and Furtwängler had performed "Beim Schlafengehen" first and "Frühling" third. The sequencing is somewhat arbitrary - Strauss's publisher Ernst Roth had determined the order and dubbed them the Four Last Songs. Roth's sequence did not follow the order of composition, nor was the set Strauss's final work. He composed the song "Malven" later in 1948.

The download includes complete scans of the Söderström LP's gatefold cover, which includes texts and translations.

LINK to March 2026 remastering of Flagstad/Furtwängler

LINK to March 2026 remastering of  Söderström/Armstrong