Mahler, Gustav/Schumann, Robert: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: 1952-55 recordings (Naxos Historical Audio CD)

One the finest Lieder singers and one of the most prolific recording artists of his generation, the great German baritone, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, possessed a virtually flawless vocal technique, a remarkable ability to convey the right tonal colour and nuance of a musical phrase, as well as a wonderful command of rhythm.

This re-issue brings together three of Fischer-Dieskau’s most famous recordings, that of Schumann’s Liederkreis with the pianist Gerald Moore, a partnership which would produce a remarkable artistic and creative fusion over the next quarter century.

The 1952 recording of the song-cycle Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, conducted by Furtwängler, was made at a time when the music of Mahler was little known or heard outside German-speaking countries, a bold and inspired choice.

“Together [Fischer-Dieskau and Furtwangler] recorded what remains an unsurpassed version of the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, the singer spontaneously overwhelmed by the meaning of the text, the conductor revealing more of the inner workings of the score than any of his successors and drawing a sensuous response from the young Philharmonia. The recording, amazingly, hardly shows its age and comes up on CD sounding natural, refined and as beautiful as the performance.”
Gramophone on the EMI reissue