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Amazon.co.uk Review
In the days of vinyl Strauss Heroines might have featured just the extracts from Der Rosenkavalier. For soprano Renée Fleming, who concurrent with this release gave the role of the Marschallin at the Met, presents the "Monologue Scene" from Act I and the "Trio and Finale" from Act III complete. As on stage, mezzo Susan Graham appears as Octavian, while soprano Barbara Bonney is Sophie in the latter selections, returning as Zdenka for the duet from Act I of Arabella. The programme ends with the "Moonlight Music" and "Closing Scene" from Capriccio, and while bass-baritone Walter Berry and tenor Johannes Chum also appear, this concert belongs utterly to the deeply expressive tones of Fleming. Strauss had a passionate love of the soprano voice, and being fluent in German means that Fleming is able fully to explore the composer's complex characters, revealing an especial empathy for the Marschallin (however, although Fleming has yet to give Capriccio on stage, she notes that the finale is her favourite part of this recording). With a particularly sumptuous late-romantic sound and impeccable performances this is a release to treasure. --Gary S. Dalkin
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
after her singing of strauss' FOUR LAST SONGS and the closing scene of DAPHNE everyone has been waitng for some more richard strauss on disc by renee fleming. although the title is a bit misleading (with "heroines" one wuld rather expect elektra or salome...), the whole cd holds a very high standard in modern strauss-interpretation. renee fleming ranks very high in the beautiful-voice-factor and strauss, as a commited lover of the female voice, would have adored her singing. as said, it is overall wonderfully expressive, sometimes even mannered (every now and then there is a hint of elisabeth schwarzkopf in her interpretation of the marschallin in DER ROSENKAVALIER - but this is meant as a big compliment), while the voice itself always remains delicate and ruby-coloured. there is hardly anyone nowadays who could sing these roles better. as for her colleagues, they are well chosen: the closing trio of DER ROSENKAVALIER boasts susan graham as octavian (she also participates in the closing scene of act 1) and barbara bonney as sophie (who also sings a charming zdenka in the duet from ARABELLA). graham and fleming have often performed together and their voices blend very well, although one could perhaps wish for a bit more distinction between the two, as their voices are somehow quite similar in colour - but susan graham is such a winning artist, that this hardly matters. barbara bonney is sweet and girlish, her vibrato starting to loosen a bit in the climax of the ROSENKAVALIER trio, but she, as the others, is totally inside the character she portrays. christoph eschenbach gets the most sumptuous sounds from the vienna philharmonic (indeed, the orchestral sound alone is ravishing) and his tempi (especially in DER ROSENKAVALIER) are indulgently slow, but without loosening the tension. all to the good! overall this is one of the most recommendable issues in straussian singing and every lover of richard strauss (or indeed one of the artists) should not hesitate to buy it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
36 reviews
30 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Luscious meeting of singer and music
4 Dec 1999
Format:Audio CD
OK, I have to admit that for me Fleming is the beautiful lyric soprano in the world today - not since the young Te Kanawa have I heard a more purely beautiful sound and she is much more attentive to the words than the New Zealand singer ever was. Strauss suits her supremely well. The disc is dominated by her Marschallin - a role which fits her like a glove. Vocally there are no problems for her - it's surprisingly straightforward from the technical viewpoint but great Marschallins have to discover the character in a sense beneath the notes. Recorded quite closely Fleming is beautifully understated. For all the huge orchestral forces she creates a real feeling of intimacy. The playing is full of beautiful detail but ultimately a little too langorous for my taste - some of the tempi are very slow indeed. Bonney and Graham are fully in the picture but this is Fleming's disc, proving once again that this lovely singer is entering her prime. I hope there are many glorious years ahead.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Cream that stops at that perfect point before clotting
11 Jan 2000
Format:Audio CD
Strauss has long been a passion and, as such, I was bitterly disappointed at Ms Fleming's rendition of the glorious Four Last Songs, one of my personal favourites. I found the singing too tame and calculated - Renee Fleming does Schwarzkopf. It was thus with a certain amount of trepidation that I approached this disc, only to have my proverbial socks knocked off. At the start of the Marchallin's famous monologue one is immediately struck by the broad tempo and the deceptive clarity Eschenbach musters from the incredible forces of the WPO. Fleming starts the scene rather routinely, but as it develops one is transported by the intensity, culminating in a glorious re-entry from Susan Graham's radiant Octavian. The achingly sad postlogue to the first act cannot but raise a lump in the throat of any true Strauss lover and, I wager, in most lovers of any kind of opera. This prepares the ground for the final scene from Act 3, which is truly unlike anything I have heard at all. The tempo is almost suicidally slow, but Eschenbach obviously knows what he can get out of his singers, because, with the added magic of Barbara Bonney's superlative Sophie, the scene bristles with intensity. The unsingably long vocal lines seem to flow from the performers like streams of the finest French Champagne. Even the infamous repeated top C's reveal no strain at all. The recital might have stopped here, with the haunting intensity of the two lovers' final duet and Fleming's masterfully resigned 'Ja, ja' haunting the listener for months to come. But no, they go onto equally great heights (I am afraid to say 'greater', as that seems impossible) with the Arabella duet. Having heard Ms Bonney live in Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam I could picture her in this scene, supporting the glorious Arabella of Fleming with those once again impossible floating top notes. It is a marvel in recording history. The Capriccio finale is perhaps the perfect closing to this disc. Fleming has a chance to 'run the gamut A to Zee' in one of Strauss's most diversely challenging scenes and she does it in great style. It is wonderful to hear a great Strauss singer still in her prime - may we have all these operas complete, hopefully with as excellent a supporting cast. The three ladies recently had a triumph in Paris with Rosenkavalier and I can only turn deep shades of green that I was not there to experience it.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Absolutely extraordinary singing
29 Sep 1999
Format:Audio CD
I have long enjoyed Renee Fleming's performances, and this CD is no exception. Some may carp that she is too young for the Marschallin, but she makes a strong point that the Marschallin was 35. Although one would think age would help in the interpretation of the Marschallin's deep and profound thoughts, Fleming connects with the underlying emotions of the piece and makes a musical statement that is truly remarkable. Her singing on the Arabella and Capriccio selections are no less well-sung and thought out, and she is partnered by two other lovely singers, Susan Graham and Barbara Bonney. I have all of Fleming's other CDs and have one question: Is there anything this woman can't sing, and sing well?! From Tchaikovsky to Mozart, from dramatic to coloratura, from a rich chest register to an effortless high E flat (and beyond on her Mozart CD) -- the woman has the most perfect technique. Listen to everything you can from this amazing artist.
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