Alexander Zemlinsky - Lyrische Symphonie Op.18

Alexander  ZEMLINSKY (1871-1942)

Lyrische Symphonie Op.18

Deborah Voigt (soprano)
Bryn Terfel (Bass Baritone)

Viena Philharmonic Orchestra

Giuseppe Sinopoli

 

There have been an amazing 16 recordings of Zemlinksy's answer to Das Lied von der Erde -- this, despite the fact that this ultra-lush work rarely shows up in concert halls. One difficuty is that it calls for heroic, Wagner-sized voices to compete with the mammtoh orchestra and constant outpouring of full-throated sound. This CD is from 1996, and it would be hard to better Bryn Terfel and Devorah Voigt, or for that mateer the Vienna Phil. Strange, then, that the recording is long out of print, eclipsed in the main by a decca recording led by Riccardo Chailly with the Royal Concertgebouw.

The Decca has showier sonics -- the DG engineers put the orchestra a little too far back for maximum visceral impact and inner detail. But good as Alessandran Marc and Hagan Hagegaard are for Chailly, Sinopoli's soloists encompass their taxing parts with less effort. Of course, the microphone can be used to make amends, as happens on the recent Eschenbach, where soprano Christine Schafer couldn't hope to carry over the orchestra in the conert hall but sounds fine in the studio.

In any event, this is a gorgeous, idiomatic reading with Sinopoli in top form. As a leading Strauss conductor, it's no surprise that he has an emotional conneciton to Zemlinsky.