STRAUSS, R: Heroines - Lisa della Casa, Leontyne Price, Regine Crespin, Birgit Nilsson

It is often said that Richard Strauss had a lifelong love affair with the soprano voice, and it is certainly true that many of his finest operatic roles were written with that voice in mind. In addition, the quality of his writing for sopranos regularly shows their instruments off to maximum advantage. Sopranos have genuine cause to the grateful to him.

Collected here are some of Strauss’s greatest heroines – whether regal (the Marschallin in Rosenkavalier), demented (Salome and Elektra), or crafty (the Empress in Frau ohne Schatten). These highlights feature not only great solo scenes (the final scene of Salome, Elektra’s monologue) but also some sublime ensembles (Arabella, Ariadne auf Naxos, the closing scene of Rosenkavalier). The singers represent some of the leading Strauss sopranos of their day – Della Casa, Guede, Crespin, Söderström, Silja and, of course, Nilsson – as well as some of the great Strauss conductors: Solti, Böhm, Dohnányi. Many of the recordings were made by the Wiener Philharmoniker in one of Decca’s iconic recording venues, the Sofiensaal, over a period of some twenty years.

R STRAUSS
Arabella: Aber der Richtige, wenns einen gibt
Leontyne Price (Ariadne)
Lisa della Casa (Arabella)
Hilde Gueden (Zdenka)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Georg Solti

Ariadne auf Naxos: Es ist alles vergebens … Es gibt ein Reich
Barry McDaniel (Harlekin)
Edita Gruberova (Zerbinetta)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Georg Solti

Der Rosenkavalier: Mein Gott! Es was nicht mehr als eine Farce (Trio from Act III)
Régine Crespin (Marschallin)
Hilde Gueden (Sophie)
Elisabeth Söderström (Octavian)
Heinz Holeček (Faninal)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Silvio Varviso

Elektra: Allein! Weh, ganz allein
Birgit Nilsson (Elektra)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Georg Solti

Die Frau ohne Schatten: Sieh – Amme – sieh … Zum Lebenswasser! … Wehe, mein Mann
Leonie Rysanek (Kaiserin)
Judith Hellwig (Stimme des Falken)
Wiener Staatsopernchor
Wiener Philharmoniker
Karl Böhm

Salome
Salomes Tanz der sieben Schleier (Dance of the seven veils)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan

Es ist kein Laut zu vernehmen (Final scene)
Anja Silja (Salome)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Christoph von Dohnányi