Strauss, R.: Four Last Songs, Etc. - Jessye Norman

The extraordinary American soprano Jessye Norman was born in Augusta in 1945. Highly intelligent, outspoken, with striking looks and physique, even with a voice less opulent and distinctive than hers, she was never going to fade into the background. In fact, she's widely reported to have been the inspiration for the eponymous Diva in the Beineix film... If you're buying this disc, you're no doubt buying it for her fabled Vier letzte lieder, although the "padding" is hardly that. You're treated to six other well known Strauss lieder (so this is a sort of Strauss' Greatest Hits, if you like...) - the glorious Caecilie (try seducing people by playing ...  Read the complete review

I first saw Kurt Masur when he was conducting the London Philharmonic, where he is now Principal Conductor. They are based at the Royal Festival Hall (see review) and are one of the best orchestras in the country, so he's not doing badly. Masur's conducting style is unique, but no less impressive for that. He knows his scores flawlessly - I've seen him conducting a Mozart symphony without even having the score in front of him. When the strings are playing legato, he mimes the bowing action. His body moves in response to the music, but he is never pretentious or showy - just completely caught up. The sound he gets from his orchestras is, of course, ...  Read the complete review