Assembled from parts of three Columbia LPs from the early '50s, this composite Preiser re-release is a welcome step toward making William Warfield's lieder recordings available on CD. Bare-bones as it is (no texts or translations, and only cursory notes), it nevertheless captures the esteemed American baritone in clear mono recordings during the early prime of his career, when his voice was at its richest and most expansive. The program combines two staples of the art song repertory, Robert Schumann's Liederkreis and ...
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Assembled from parts of three Columbia LPs from the early '50s, this composite Preiser re-release is a welcome step toward making William Warfield's lieder recordings available on CD. Bare-bones as it is (no texts or translations, and only cursory notes), it nevertheless captures the esteemed American baritone in clear mono recordings during the early prime of his career, when his voice was at its richest and most expansive. The program combines two staples of the art song repertory, Robert Schumann's Liederkreis and Johannes Brahms' Vier ernste Gesänge, with a group of Ballads by Carl Loewe and five sea chanteys arranged by Celius Dougherty. The most surprising, and in many ways most recommendable, group is the Loewe: Warfield's vivid characterizations, marked by changes in vocal color and inflection and even a few "special effects" falsettos, make entertaining stories out of these sprawling songs, which can sometimes seem much too long. "Odins Meeresrit" reveals the full power and range of Warfield's...
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