Not for the casual aficionado of vocal music but rather for the cognoscenti steeped in the singers and the repertoire, this two-disc set of early recordings made for the German Radio by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf will be invaluable for fans of the German soprano. For one thing, these are the first and most expansive set of recordings of Schwarzkopf made in her extreme youth, when her voice still bloomed effortlessly and she still sang relatively artlessly. Those who lament the darkening of her tone after the war and the studied artistry of her later recordings will find nothing to complain of here, where Schwarzkopf sounds amazingly fresh and nearly innocent. For another thing, most of the songs included here she never recorded again -- and fans will not want to miss her exquisite account of "Rossignols amoureux" from Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie, her tender reading of "Schafe können sicher weiden" (aka Sheep May Safely Graze) from Bach's "Peasant" Cantata, or especially her touching interpretations of four folk songs. Taped in Berlin between 1941 and 1943 with pianist Michael Raucheisen, the head of the classical division of the German state broadcasting system and one heck of an accompanist, these recordings are assuredly not for everybody. But there are those who will absolutely have to hear them. The sound here, while obviously antique, is still much more vivid and real than then-contemporary American recordings.
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