Click here to explore our magazine, or pick a section from the above choices. It is good to know that the succession to Fischer-Dieskau and Prey is being assured by a number of young singers, but Matthias Goerne may be at the top of the list. Songs such as Meeres Stille or Wanderers Nachtlied exude a hushed stillness, while the exuberance of An Schwager Kronos also finds a resounding echo. Andreas Haefliger's piano playing matches the singer every step of the way. Elektra Listening to this new version of Strauss's Huis clos , one is occasionally impressed by the conducting, the playing and the performances, but Klytemnestra's tame shrieks of death are but a reflection of the tameness of the entire performance.
Individual moments are impressive, but there is no sense of inexorability.
Alessandra Marc would do well to consider trying to find vowel sounds that match the words and also not to forget that consonants are useful for comprehension. This is yet again an example of the foolishness of the record companies in casting a major role with a singer who has no stage experience in the part. Voigt does well in her interventions, singing with gleaming tone. Unfortunately Schwarz does not have the range for her role, while Ramey sounds out of place, the role of Orest calling for a voice with more velvet. Nor is the introduction to Richard Strauss' Capriccio , curiously omitted from the CD cover, particularly eloquent.