Gratuitous Friday – Werner Güra Sings Mozart Lieder

Werner Güra and Christoph Berner offer a program of Mozart. Mozart is not the first name that comes to mind when we talk about Lieder. But Werner Gura should be one of the first names that comes to mind when talking about Mozart! Here are some excerpts from a lovely program of Lieder (which are thoughtfully  interspersed with a few of Mozart's solo piano works.)

Then there's a Mozart Chanson. Yup, Mozart set some French texts. That crazy kid!

This recital was just reissued by Harmonia Mundi on their budget label. At full price, this is a wonderful program. At budget price (for CD or mp3 download), this recital of relative Mozart rarities is a must have! 

Speaking of Werner Güra and Laurence Equilbey...

I guess we weren't, but while I was browsing the Toob, looking for performances by LE, I came across these three orchestrated versions of Schubert songs. I personally am not that convinced by these (and other orchestrations) in spite of hearing Anne Sofie von Otter sing a handful of them live. They somehow don't allow the flexibility I listen for in a voice and piano setting. 

LE is quite an interpreter (I've decided after watching the concert I posted yesterday, that I want to sing under her. She gets a bit overwrought perhaps, but she is so expressive, and she communicates effectively with her musicians) and Werner Güra is no slouch in the Lieder department. Somewhere out there lurks a complete concert with some more Schubert, and who knows what else!

Concerts Courtesy of France Musique

In case you missed them, francemusique.fr is giving us another chance to hear Werner Güra’s Edinburgh Recital (till Nov. 29) and Christian Gerhaher's all-Schumann program from Salzburg (till Nov. 23).  

I was directed to France Musique, which makes most concert broadcasts available for about 30 days, by Lydia from Toronto, who tweeted me about a very special concert that will be broadcast on November 26, and be available for about 30 days after that: 

Photo courtesy of Eden Jonathan, who was
fortunate enough to attend the concert live.
Thanks Eden!

Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice from l'Opéra Royal de Versailles.

Franco Fagioli,  Orphée

Malin Hartelius, Euridice

Emmanuelle de Negri, Amore

Ensemble vocal Accentus 

Insula Orchestra

Laurence Equilbey, Direction

The France Musique website is a great new (to me) resource for recorded music online! Other program listings can be found for on the Concerts page at francemusique.fr. I just love teh interwebz!!

Die Schöne Mullerin Sing-off – Nine Tenors in 90 Minutes

Ernst Haefliger

I really should just keep my virtual radio tuned to Austria's Ö1. This week on Stimme Hören (Hearing Voices), was a tenor-all-star version of Die Schöne Mullerin, featuring tenors historic and current: from Ernst Haefliger and Aksel Schiotz to Werner Güra and Jonas Kaufmann. It's a Lieder-nerd's paradise!

I guess they figured every good Austrian knows Fritz Wunderlich’s performances by heart, since they refer to him but don't actually play any of his recordings. 

(For an archived recording of this broadcast, click here.)  

Two on 3 – Werner Güra and Dorothea Röschmann's Recitals from Edinburgh and One on 1 – Christian Gerhaher im Salzburg

Listen now:

Werner Güra and Christoph Berner

Werner Güra (tenor) and Christoph Berner (piano) perform music by Beethoven and Schubert.

German tenor Werner Güra and pianist Christoph Berner perform live at the Edinburgh International Festival. Love and longing, life and loss are explored in this song recital of works by Beethoven and Schubert.

2012 Lieder Recitals from Schwetzingen Still Available

So, I was over at Dorothea Röschmann – an appreciation, checking out a notice about the Berlin Philharmonic's November 2013 concert of Schumann’s scenes from Faust*. The rest of the vocal cast is compelling too, and includes Martina Janková, Werner Güra, Christian Gerhaher, and Luca Pisaroni. 

On that same page, there is a link to the (still active) archive recording of DR’s wonderful 2012 Schwetzingen SWR Festspiele Lieder recital. (Earwormopera published the sung texts) In fact, most all of the 2012 Schwetzingen programs are still available from Südwestrundfunk SW2. The site says the recordings are available for a year, which means they’ll be disappearing soon (to be replaced by the 2013 programs, no doubt.)