Kiri Te Kanawa,F.P. Decker, NZSO,part 4

[allislove1]

I love Te Kanawa's ability to sing long, legato passages. Thank you.

[1957attilazaborszky]

i simply love this part well done kiri thanks so much!

[LJBSasha]

Another performance where the tempo is too fast; also, perhaps Te Kanawa's timbre doesn't quite suit my taste (the vibrato seems to be excessively fast on a voice that isn't quite as rich or imposing as Norman, Fleming or Caballé while being not as creamy as Popp or Schwarzkopf), at least as of the day I'm writing this. More jarring that that, however, is that she loses her pace (a memory slip?) on bars 24-26 - fortunately, she recovers after a momentary hiccup that makes things worse...

[johndlabella]

Mahler said (to this very orchestra, I think) that 'music is not to be found in the notes' (or the voice itself, I might add). To me, it's 'line' that makes music listenable - line is something that needs to exist between *phrases* as well as between *notes of a phrase*. Te Kanawa has line, R. Fleming/J. Normam not so often. As a consequence, their performances often become about *them*, while with this performance I hear *the songs*. To me that's art of the highest order.

[LJBSasha]

How could it be that Gustav Mahler could ever hope to meet the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, since he never went there? I somehow doubt that at that time this ensemble was already making European/North-American tours...

[lyghdha]

I hope Decker and te Kanawa can read your recommendations so they can improve their interpretations... what rubbish!

[LJBSasha]

I understand what you're trying to say and can empathise with your viewpoint (especially relative to daring to criticise great artists in Te Kanawa's case); however, just please compare this performance with the others and you'll see what I mean! This is especially so if you've studied the score.

Otherwise, there's no disputing about tastes or colours...

[thereisnoel]

I agree with you

[LJBSasha]

Besides, if every critic out there stopped writing because he (or she) was not able to either artistically match and/or comprehend both what the artist is trying to do as well as whatever intrinsic merits the one has, a whole industry would simply go "bust"!!! Whether for good or for ill, I'll leave you and the others to judge...

[blauauge2]

sorry,but you don`t know nothing about rich and warm voices!!!

[LJBSasha]

Sorry, Sir/Madame, but nothing could be further from the truth!! I've heard a reasonable quota of "rich and warm" voices, both on recordings (cassettes/LPs/CDs/DVDs) and live!! To me in this recording Mme. Te Kanawa doesn't - for once - sound as rich as Fleming, Norman, Popp or Schwartzkopf.

As I've said, this likely is a question of taste - as well as relative to the interpretation, where I honestly feel the others do more (and also their orchestral-accompanists) with the material...

[cuddlebear51]

AWFUL....

[LJBSasha]

Not downright-awful by any means, but I will agree that it is not one of Te Kanawa's better performances. [The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is good like all the others, but Franz-Paul Decker is most certainly NOT a first-rate conductor...] Nevertheless (continuing from my earlier posting), there's much to study and learn from!

Also what costs this performance a star is the lowish recording level (which also hurts Fleming's performance of the same piece in Rome on Italian state television).

[swe50]

Te Kanawa is always excellent!! I find the tempo too speedy. What impresses me is te Kanwas seemingly effortless singing and discipline not to overdecorate the Lied. Jessye Norman and the Leipziger Orchestra

I find even more moving (available om YouTube) in this particular song.

[belcantokai]

It's the best X'mas gift to me!!!

I've been looking for Kiri's Vier Letzte Lider on Video for years........

Since her recording with Sir Solti is not yet on DVD, you really surprised me with this unexpeted version. Thank you with a lot of love to Kiri!!!

(What's the conductor's name, please?)

Kai