Erna Berger - 3 Song Recitals
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Richard Strauss, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Hans (Erich) Pfitzner, Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Robert Schumann, Joaquín Turina, Werner Egk, Benjamin Britten, Giuseppe Verdi, Henry Purcell
Label: Koch-Schwann
Magazine Review Date: 8/1993
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 199
Mastering:
Mono
ADD
Catalogue Number: 310582
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Oedipus, Movement: Music for a while (song) |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Günther Weissenborn, Piano Henry Purcell, Composer |
| Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt (fourth version) |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Franz Schubert, Composer Günther Weissenborn, Piano |
| Suleika I |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Franz Schubert, Composer Günther Weissenborn, Piano |
| Suleika II |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Franz Schubert, Composer Günther Weissenborn, Piano |
| (8) Lieder (Alte Weisen) |
Hans (Erich) Pfitzner, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Günther Weissenborn, Piano Hans (Erich) Pfitzner, Composer |
| (6) Lieder |
Richard Strauss, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Günther Weissenborn, Piano Richard Strauss, Composer |
| Così fan tutte |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Günther Weissenborn, Piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer |
| Liederkreis, Movement: No. 1, In der Fremde |
Robert Schumann, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Robert Schumann, Composer |
| Liederkreis, Movement: No. 5, Mondnacht |
Robert Schumann, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Robert Schumann, Composer |
| Lieder und Gesänge III, Movement: No. 5, Aufträge (wds. L'Egru) |
Robert Schumann, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Robert Schumann, Composer |
| (4) Lieder, Movement: No. 2, Lerchengesang (wds. Candidus) |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Johannes Brahms, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (8) Lieder, Movement: Es träumte mir, ich sei dir teuer |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Johannes Brahms, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| Mörike Lieder, Movement: Er ist's |
Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| Mörike Lieder, Movement: An eine Aeolsharfe |
Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| Mörike Lieder, Movement: Nixe Binsefuss |
Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (Il) re pastore, '(The) Shepherd King', Movement: L'amerò, sarò costante |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer |
| (Der) Hirt auf dem Felsen |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Franz Schubert, Composer Heinrich Geusser, Clarinet Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (3) Poemas |
Joaquín Turina, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Joaquín Turina, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (7) Sonnets of Michelangelo, Movement: Veggio co' bei vastri occhi (XXX) |
Benjamin Britten, Composer
Benjamin Britten, Composer Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (7) Sonnets of Michelangelo, Movement: Spirto ben nato (XXIV) |
Benjamin Britten, Composer
Benjamin Britten, Composer Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| Idomeneo, Re di Creta, 'Idomeneo, King of Crete' |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer |
| (Die) Entführung aus dem Serail, '(The) Abduction from the Seraglio', Movement: Martern aller Arten |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer |
| Rigoletto |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (Der) Liebe himmlisches Gefühl |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer |
| Mörike Lieder, Movement: Auf eine Christblume I |
Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| Mörike Lieder, Movement: Lied vom Winde |
Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Hugo (Filipp Jakob) Wolf, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (8) Lieder, Movement: Vorüber (wds. Hebbel) |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Johannes Brahms, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (8) Lieder, Movement: No. 7, Mein wundes Herz (wds. Groth) |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Johannes Brahms, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| Salve Regina |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Franz Schubert, Composer Heinrich Geusser, Clarinet Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| Offertory: Totus in corde langueo |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Franz Schubert, Composer Heinrich Geusser, Clarinet Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (6) Lieder, Movement: Lieder der Ophelia (wds Shakespeare trans K Simroc |
Richard Strauss, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Richard Strauss, Composer |
| (7) Lieder, Movement: Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer (wds Lingg) |
Hans (Erich) Pfitzner, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Hans (Erich) Pfitzner, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (5) Lieder, Movement: Venus Mater (wds R Dehmel) |
Hans (Erich) Pfitzner, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Hans (Erich) Pfitzner, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (4) Lieder, Movement: Sonst (wds Eichendorff) |
Hans (Erich) Pfitzner, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Hans (Erich) Pfitzner, Composer Michael Raucheisen, Piano |
| (5) Lieder, Movement: No. 2, Junghexenlied (wds. Bierbaum) |
Richard Strauss, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Richard Strauss, Composer |
| (5) Lieder, Movement: No. 1, Wiegenlied (wds. Dehmel: orch 1916) |
Richard Strauss, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Richard Strauss, Composer |
| (5) Kleine Lieder, Movement: No. 5, Schlechtes Wetter (wds. Heine) |
Richard Strauss, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Richard Strauss, Composer |
| Variationen über ein altes Wiener Strophenlied |
Werner Egk, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Werner Egk, Composer |
| (Le) nozze di Figaro, '(The) Marriage of Figaro' |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Erna Berger, Soprano Michael Raucheisen, Piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer |
Author: Alan Blyth
Erna Berger was a singer so dedicated to her art that the cares and problems of the war years were simply put out of her mind as she carried on her career in wartorn Berlin. So much is made clear by the sympathetic portrait of the singer given here in the accompanying booklet. Before the war she had established herself as a valued member of the Berlin State Opera ensemble in a wide range of repertory from Mozart to Puccini—in those years Mimi and Butterfly were thought suitable for her kind of light, coloratura soprano. She also sang Queen of Night in Beecham's 1937 Berlin-made Die Zauberflote. (Nimbus (CD) NI7827/8; EMI and Pearl, both 3/90). After the war—somewhat belatedly—she enjoyed wider recognition, being particularly feted for her Gilda at the Metropolitan. She also recorded the part while there for RCA (11/52—nla), but by this time a large part of her public life was being devoted to the recital platform, of which we have fair evidence in the three Berlin recitals issued here, apparently recorded at the time by a friend in the audience. Raucheisen is her main partner. He was always an admirer of hers and she played a major part in his wartime Lied Edition, much of which has appeared on Acanta issues, LP and now CD. Indeed, it is interesting to compare Berger's account on LP of Wolf's An eine Aeolsharfe in the Lied Edition (5/89) and here. The earlier performance is fresher, more poised, better recorded—altogether preferable.
Indeed, there are several points where Berger's voice is no longer so attractively girlish and easy as it was in pre-war days. That applies in particular to her Lieder where, in any case, she never had quite the variety of tone called for by this genre. The voice is best suited to the lighter songs of Richard Strauss, of which there are examples in the first and third recitals (the whole of his Op. 68 on the first CD, for instance). She is very much in her element in items such as Despina's aria, ''Una donna'' (Cosi), ''L'amero, saro costante'' (Il re pastore), Constanze's ''Martern aller Arten'' (Die Entfuhrung—sung here, as on her HMV 78 of the day, with consummate ease and ideal focus allied to dramatic projection, though with some weakness in her lower register), Ilia's ''Zeffiretti lusinghieri'' (Idomeneo—though here her HMV 78 is to be preferred). Most desirable of all are, in the third recital (where she appears to be in best voice), Schubert's Salve regina and his Tortus in corde langueo, rare and therefore welcome items in any case, which show off her faultless line, even delivery and total command of technique. These both have clarinet obbligatos, well played by Heinrich Geuser.
That Berger had her mind attuned to contemporary repertory is indicated by her choice of songs by Pfitzner, Egk and even Britten—she sings two of the Michelangelo Sonnets with a true understanding of Britten's aims. The Egk item is a set of variations written to be inserted in a performance by Berger of Rosina in Il barbiere in 1937 (presumably replacing ''Contro un cor''): it is nicely tailored to her gifts, touching on the plaintive accent she sometimes employed in addition to exploiting her aptitude forfioriture. This is followed by Susanna's last-act aria from Figaro, which catches to perfection Berger's exquisite phrasing in Mozart. That is sung in German, but ''Caro nome'' (Rigoletto) at the end of the second recital is given—with a pristine beauty of tone—in Italian. All in all we have here a rounded portrait of a much-admired artist. The voice occasionally overloads in loud passages of the otherwise adequate recording. The audience is generous with its applause, which (I know) irritates some collectors.'
Indeed, there are several points where Berger's voice is no longer so attractively girlish and easy as it was in pre-war days. That applies in particular to her Lieder where, in any case, she never had quite the variety of tone called for by this genre. The voice is best suited to the lighter songs of Richard Strauss, of which there are examples in the first and third recitals (the whole of his Op. 68 on the first CD, for instance). She is very much in her element in items such as Despina's aria, ''Una donna'' (Cosi), ''L'amero, saro costante'' (Il re pastore), Constanze's ''Martern aller Arten'' (Die Entfuhrung—sung here, as on her HMV 78 of the day, with consummate ease and ideal focus allied to dramatic projection, though with some weakness in her lower register), Ilia's ''Zeffiretti lusinghieri'' (Idomeneo—though here her HMV 78 is to be preferred). Most desirable of all are, in the third recital (where she appears to be in best voice), Schubert's Salve regina and his Tortus in corde langueo, rare and therefore welcome items in any case, which show off her faultless line, even delivery and total command of technique. These both have clarinet obbligatos, well played by Heinrich Geuser.
That Berger had her mind attuned to contemporary repertory is indicated by her choice of songs by Pfitzner, Egk and even Britten—she sings two of the Michelangelo Sonnets with a true understanding of Britten's aims. The Egk item is a set of variations written to be inserted in a performance by Berger of Rosina in Il barbiere in 1937 (presumably replacing ''Contro un cor''): it is nicely tailored to her gifts, touching on the plaintive accent she sometimes employed in addition to exploiting her aptitude for
Erna Berger - 3 Song Recitals
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