Content:

Richard Strauss
Vier letzte Lieder
Orchestral Songs



Artists:
Soile Isokoski, soprano
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Marek Janowski, conductor

Genres:
Orchestral
Vocal

Series:
Critics' choices

Features:

Booklet with liner notes in English, German, French and Finnish and the song lyrics in the original language and in English

Format:
CD

Released:
January 2002

Catalogue No.:
ODE 982-2

EAN/UPC Code:
0761195098226

Track listing

CD 64:25
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
1 Das Rosenband, Op. 36/1 2:56
2 Ich wollt ein Sträusslein binden, Op. 68/2 3:31
3 Säusle, liebe Myrte, Op. 68/3 4:53
4 Als mir dein Lied erklang, Op. 68/4 3:51
5 Befreit, Op. 39/4 5:29
6 Ruhe, meine Seele!, Op. 27/1 4:06
7 Wiegenlied, Op. 41/1 3:43
8 Meinem Kinde, Op. 37/3 2:45
9 Zueignung, Op. 10/1 1:35
10 Morgen!, Op. 27/4 3:35
11 Die heiligen drei Könige aus Morgenland, Op. 56/6 6:09
Vier letzte Lieder, Op. posth. 20:51
12 Frühling 2:59
13 September 4:52
14 Beim Schlafengehen 4:58
15 Im Abendroth 7:41



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Awards

Gramophone Award 2002
Gramophone 'Editor's Choice'
Le Monde de la Musique 'Choc'
Classica-Répertoire 'R10 du mois'
ClassicsToday.com '10/10'

Press review

La grande référence moderne.
Bertrand Dermoncourt, Classica, novembre 2011

Isokoski has all the attributes of a supreme Straussian soprano: a radiantly beatiful voice, unblemished legato, lustrous high notes and the ability to float those sumptuous phrases on apparently limitless supplies of breath.
Richard Wigmore, The Daily Telegraph, April 21, 2006, Classical CD of the Week

In her outstanding rendition of fifteen selected Strauss songs, Soile Isokoski unveils a new dimension of singing: she uses her voice like an instrument which has not been invented yet for the orchestra.
Wolfram Goertz, Die Zeit, October 10, 2002

This is a great recording of Strauss's Four Last Songs; you'll find it at the top of my 2002 Want List.
Marc Mandel, Fanfare Magazine, September/October 2002

Isokoski sings Strauss as if it had been written for her. (...) the Berlin Radio Symphony plays like the Berlin Philharmonic.
John Boyer, American Record Guide, September/October 2002

Soile Isokoski is (...) a wonderful Strauss singer with a beautiful lyric soprano voice - you can just float away on the sound.
James Jolly, Gramophone Award 2002, Editor's Choice

Strauss singing doesn't come much better than this. (...) Here she brings her gifts of sheer beauty of sound combined with a quite unaffected approach to pieces that have suffered enough in their time from over-interpretation.
Alan Blyth, Gramophone, April 2002, Editor's Choice: Record of the Month

This great recording is up there with the greatest of them.
Barry Millington, BBC Music Magazine, April 2002, Performance*****

I can't praise this beautiful release enough. (...) no lover of Strauss' songs or of great, elegant, un-prima-donna-ish singing would be without Isokoski's.
Robert Levine, ClassicsToday.com, March 24, 2002, Artistic Quality 10 / Sound Quality 10