Prelude & Liebestod / Tod Und Verklarung & Four
Donald Runnicles leads this fine program of shadowy, late-Romantic music with an assured hand. His Prelude toTristan und Isoldeis taken very broadly and with just the right feeling of desire; the Liebestod, sung by the remarkable soprano Christine Brewer, may not build as inexorably or passionately as some, but it is a wonderful performance nonetheless, with Brewer riding over the superb ASO with ease. The orchestra's performance ofTod und Verklärungis spectacular. In a score that loves to show off its lushness, Runnicles highlights not only that luxuriance, but fills it with vigor, intensity, grandeur and, simply, beauty - just listen to the gorgeous oboe solo near the start. Strauss's Four Last Songs have been well represented on CD, but Brewer's and Runnicles' reading is ravishing. Because Brewer's voice is in its prime, she can do almost anything with it; her long-spun phrases are as natural sounding as the high-lying vocal line is arching and beautifully offered. The sound is flawless, with big voice and big orchestra perfectly balanced.--Robert Levine