Testament UK
1995
Beethoven Lieder
About This Album
The early recordings of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau are in every way the equal to his later recordings. The strength, intelligence, sensitivity, and soulfulness that distinguished his Deutsche Grammophon recordings from the '60s and '70s are fully present in his EMI recordings from the '50s. However, Fischer-Dieskau's '50s recordings have a couple of advantages over his later recordings: his voice is younger and more supple and his interpretations fresher and more youthful. While this does not necessarily make much of a difference in his recordings of Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem, it does make a tremendous difference in his recordings of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. In Fischer-Dieskau's 1956 recording of Beethoven's songs for EMI, his youth works with him in some songs and against him in others. His earlier Adelaide, Op. 46, and Der Kuss, Op. 128, clearly benefit from his youthful passion and are arguably more successful than his later recordings. But his earlier In questa tomba oscura (WoO 133) and An die Hoffnung, Op. 94, are perhaps a little too youthful, a little too beautifully sung and gracefully interpreted to match the depth of the words and music that his later recordings capture so fully. But, youthful or mature, Fischer-Dieskau is still one of the supreme exponents of lieder, and any recording of his of Beethoven, be it earlier or later, is still among the best recordings of the songs ever made. EMI's original mono sound was clean and atmospheric, and Testament's remastering makes them sound as fine as the finest stereo or digital recordings. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide
Track List

Songs (8) For Voice & Piano, Op. 52
1.
2.
Songs (6) For Voice & Piano, Op. 75
3.
4.
Songs (3) (Goethe) For Voice & Piano, Op. 83
5.
6.
7.
Songs (6) For Voice & Piano, Op. 48
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Adelaide, Song For Voice & Piano, Op. 46
14.
Andenken, Song For Voice & Piano, Woo 136
15.
Songs (6) For Voice & Piano, Op. 75
16.
Lied Aus Der Ferne ("Als Mir Noch Die Träne"), For Voice & Piano, Woo 137
17.
Sehnsucht ("Die Stille Nacht Undunkelt"), Song For Voice & Piano, Woo 146
18.
Der Wachtelschlag, Song For Voice & Piano ("Ach, Mir Schallt's Dorten"), Woo 129
19.
An Die Hoffnung (II), Song For Voice & Piano, Op. 94
20.
Der Kuss (The Kiss), Arietta For Voice & Piano, Op. 128
21.
Songs (8) For Voice & Piano, Op. 52
22.
23.
Abendlied Unterm Gestirnten Himmel, Song For Voice & Piano, Woo 150
24.
Resignation ("Lisch Aus, Mein Licht"), Song For Voice & Piano, Woo 149
25.
Zärtliche Liebe, Song For Voice & Piano, Woo 123
26.
In Questa Tomba Oscura, Arietta For Voice And Piano (Or Orchestra), Woo 133
27.