Lucia Popp - Strauss' Vier Letzte Lieder - Fruhling

[BonaparteDeGaulle]

Je partage tout à fait le point de vus de Chateaubriant26 bravo à toi, Non vraiment quelle belle analyse.

[Chateaubriand26]

J'ai l'impression que son chant est très bucal, ce qui fait que dans les aigües ce n'est pas très agréable. Mais comment en vouloir à Lucia Popp, avec une telle concurence, sur une oeuvre si magistralement interprétée par les plus grandes, Nilsson, Norman, Janowitz et bien sur le sommet de Schwarzkopf, il n'y a plus grand chose à ajouter. Et ça reste toujours bien superieur à ce que nous servent Fleming et Gydov.

[PrevitaliA]

@Chateaubriand26 Comment on peut comparer la voix écrasée (et toujours un peu en dessous de la note) de Norman - et la froideur de Nilsson (sans parler de l'atroce maniérisme de Schwarzkopf) à cette interprétation où la perfection vocale rejoint la grandeur humaine? Merci Lucia!!!

[Chateaubriand26]

@PrevitaliA Et bien on le peut, exactement de la manière dont je l'ai fait, en le disant. Chanter comme Schwarzkopf le fait, ce n'est pas chanter avec maniérisme, c'est uniquement chanter juste, avec élasticité. Popp se débarrasse simplement des notes une fois qu'elle est arrivé dans les aigus. Quand chante "Lüfte", elle ne laisse pas paraître la notion aérienne, elle passe le mot au hachoir car elle n'a pas l'amplitude requise. Lorsqu'on a entendu Schwarzkopf le chanter, rien n'est plus pareil.

[tangowen09]

Thank you, Gabba02! I had never truly appreciated Popp's artistry until I watched these four clips. I am sure if R. Strauss had lived up to the 1990s, he would have picked Popp to premiere this great cycle. Her stage presence was so stately and saintly, and her high notes were produced at such ease! She was from the communist Czechoslovakia, I think that's why the bitterness in her rendition was so genuine.

[bobareebop]

I am especially fond of the recording of the Four Last Songs that she made with MTT in 1993...her last recording as I understand it. Her and MTT were really on the same page, the orchestra is just sumptuous, and Popp is brilliant.

[Abaris379]

I agree with many here, looks like, that Lucia Popp's Vier Letzte Lieder stands supreme among others. She had everything going for it; soaring high notes that seem to open up a whole sky above you, lyricism, focus, incredible sense of line and phrasing and an abundance of heart.

[MrAndredekock]

YES! She has the Strauss lieder touch and WHAT an exponent she is! Ms Popp stands right alongside Te Kanawa, Norman and Rothenberger in her performance and her interpretation. Some people have the ability to sing these 4 songs and some, who are even great opera divas, just do NOT have the ability and miss the mark as far as interpreting and performing these four Strauss songs is concerned.

[Armenia091056]

Lucia popp is still just amazing! every note is perfect and her voice has just the right amount of vibrato... not to much it just enhances the brilliancy of each note, doesn't overtake it like it does with a lot of singers

[Haubmann1]

Für mich die wunderbarste Version!!!

[Rephrat]

She is with the angels now.eternal spring for her.

[rittelmann]

very nice interpretation and voice

but my ideal version is with Sylvia Sass!no compare!!

[pond922]

Excellent music!

[blueyedboy84]

This is miles better than Fleming. Fleming sounds like she's singing Gershwin with all the swooping-not good. Popp is an amazing one-off singer. NO singer ever sung high notes with such a distinctive sound that is HER only-Listen to 1:07- on schlossen? she is incredible. It is truly tragic she is no longer with us. Also listen to her Mozart Ach ich fuhls from Serail .

[silvr94]

ach ich fühl's is from the magic flute... but yes, it's wonderful

[znbr1]

@blueyedboy84

...Agree.such a loss

[martello79]

Very beautiful sniging and phrasing. I don't really get all the comparisons like as good as Fleming or not, etc. I understand comparisons when someone does a bad job, but with such genuine artistry and beautifl singing as here my at least lust for comparing stays deep asleep.....

[prodesica]

Miracoloso!!! Tutto e tutti!!!!

[yomlg]

Elisabeth Scwarzkopf, the best at Four Last Songs.

[kapariz44]

I recall Lucia Popp's name appearing frequently on Wiener Staatsoper programmes in the 1960's, so I guess she must have been a staff artist, along with, e.g., Murray Dickie et al.

A fine soprano, and these songs of Strauss are well suited to her voice. She sings beautifully here, but I couldn't help but wonder if a tad more body language would have really driven this song home to the audience, say, a bit of arm movement. Just my observation.

[Turand0t]

Heheheh... I must admit it makes me laugh to see that people call Fleming sloppy. I do agree she can sometimes be a bit uneven. Being a Fleming fan I must say that her phrasing is more elegant though. Allthough I love Popp's voice as well. The best version I have, and I have about 13 different versions of these songs, must be Jessye Norman's.

[Houndentenor1998]

You have about 3 more versions than I have LOL!  I love Jessye, too.

[Turand0t]

*lol* I am glad to see that someone agree with me. ;)

[PenzancePete]

Dear God, how can you speak of boring boring Jessye Norman and the incomparably poised Lucia Popp in the same sentence?

[Turand0t]

Because I love Jessye Norman's voice. I am not asking you to agree with me, and you should not expect others to agree with you. We are all entitled to our own opinion. I respect that you can't hear what a sublime voice Jessye has. But can you respect that I prefer Jessye in these songs? Lucia Popp is too bright. It doesn't fit the mood in these songs. the orchestra requires a voice with more richness. Don't get me wrong. I love Popp too, but not here. I love her especially in Daphne.

[timopragod]

I she sang songs many times live. I was at her performances wth the LA Phil is 1981/82 season. She could be heard just fine. Class act all the way! I do love Renee, but this is of a different class. I am sorry, but sometimes when Renee sings these beautiful songs it's like she's singing the blues. It's so wrong!

[plekkie]

I just listened to Renee Fleming singing this.. It's a big change. Going from a big beautiful full lyric sound, to a lighter lyric sound.. I think Renee does this piece a lot better than Popp..

Popp's voice lacks colour and her performance lacks line.. I admit Renee Fleming's vocal approach can be unorthidox and some have called it "sloppy", but with Renee, one recieves a voice that's infinitly bigger and more beautiful. :)

[katesinger]

dont know how you can say Popp's voice "lacks colour" !!!? and "line" !!!??

are you serious!! far out. she is one of the greats. listen again!!! they're two elements she has that many many others lack.

[georgebang]

I met this wonderful woman, who died all too tragically young at only 54.She was beautiful inside and out, and that ecstatic quality she had to her voice is unique in my experience.

[SieglindeMoos]

I wonder if her timbre is not too bright and light. I cannot understand one word. It is so lovely when the voice not only soars over the orchestra, but also encompasses the different timbres and depth. I think Lucia Popp is great, but this doesn't sound right to me. But we all have our own opinions and ears.

[Turand0t]

It is too bright... It is not rich enough for me. That's why I love Jessye Normans. Such a big voice, yet with so much dynamic variation. She's absolutely wonderful. But we all have different tastes.

[urgrad03]

I do love it, but I must say she's not watching her legato here.. is this on purpose... is there some notation in the music?

[Turand0t]

No... It is meant to be very legato.

[Azzenstudent]

This is ecstatic singing. The song is the least melancholy of the four and probably the least favorite for that reason. It reminds me of Daphne (which Popp recorded under Haitink). Compare and contrast to Schwarzkopf who makes it sound like a roller coaster at Magic Mountain.

[urgrad03]

A lot cleaner than the Fleming version... makes me, a Fleming lover, see why folks bitch about her sometimes. This is less... oh... sloppy?

[angelus2002]

one of my favourite singers for the four last songs. Thank you so much for these