This distinguished album features renowned baritone Thomas Hampson with the stellar Wiener Virtuosen (soloists from the Vienna Philharmonic) on an album of gorgeous Mahler songs. In terms of quality of artistry, there is no debate here. Hampson's voice is a clear, beautiful baritone that always stays open and never gets murky, and the Virtuosen has exceptionally high-quality instruments, phrasing, and musicianship. One needn't understand the words in "Trost im Unglück" in order to feel the singer's emotion, and his funereal ...
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This distinguished album features renowned baritone Thomas Hampson with the stellar Wiener Virtuosen (soloists from the Vienna Philharmonic) on an album of gorgeous Mahler songs. In terms of quality of artistry, there is no debate here. Hampson's voice is a clear, beautiful baritone that always stays open and never gets murky, and the Virtuosen has exceptionally high-quality instruments, phrasing, and musicianship. One needn't understand the words in "Trost im Unglück" in order to feel the singer's emotion, and his funereal mood in "Der Tambourg'sell" is unmistakable and captured perfectly. Hampson gets into character in each of these pieces, be it the Sentinel in "Der Schildwache Nachtlied" or the grim narrator in "Das irdische Leben." Underscoring each of these pieces are stunning cello lines, brass chords (such as in "Urlicht"), or orchestral sweeps. Not one single phrase has been neglected by the Virtuosen, which demonstrates a level of attention to detail. One might notice that Hampson's sound is...
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Add this copy of Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn to cart. $48.45, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2010 by DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON: 028947792895.