Flagstad Sings Schubert, Brahms, Strauss & American Composers – 1952 Recital

Description

overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fKIRSTEN FLAGSTAD Song Recital, Volume 2

Studio recordings, 1952
Total duration: 68:23

Kirsten Flagstad soprano
Edwin McArthur piano 578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples/PACO082.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer’s Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f

Second volume of song recitals from one of the greatest sopranos ever

Superb transfers of Kirsten Flagstad’s early-50s LP releases by Mark Obert-Thorn completes the set

The present release is the second of two devoted to Flagstad’s complete postwar American recordings for RCA Victor. As noted in the first volume (PACO 079), these recordings form one of the least-known portions of Flagstad’s discography, not least because of their lack of availability for most of the past half century. The bulk of the items featured here have not been available in any form since the 1950s, and none have previously appeared on CD. In addition, most of the songs taped in these sessions were the soprano’s only recordings of the works, which makes their reissue doubly valuable.

As noted in the earlier volume, the reason for the absence of these recordings from the catalog for so long has less to do with the quality of the singing – after all, it was only two months after the last session on this program that Flagstad recorded her iconic Isolde under Furtwängler – but rather with RCA’s lack of interest in reissuing anything other than her Wagner recordings. (Her prewar RCA song recordings have similarly been ignored, although at least those have been reissued on CD by independent labels.) Of particular interest here is the group of songs by American composers, including two by her longtime accompanist, Edwin McArthur.

The sources for the transfers were a British HMV LP for the two Schubert songs, a Canadian RCA pressing for the remaining items from LM-1738, and multiple copies of first-edition American pressings for the remaining items. The crackling noise heard at the beginning of Track 10 is in the original tape master and appears on all LP editions.

Mark Obert-Thorn

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SCHUBERT
An die Musik, D.547 (Text: Schober) (2:58)
Ganymed, D.544 (Text: Goethe) (4:08)

BRAHMS
Von ewiger Liebe, Op. 43, No. 1 (Text: Wenzig) (4:32)
O wüsst’ ich doch den Weg zurück, Op. 63, No. 8 (Text: Groth) (3:31)
Muss es eine Trennung geben, Op. 33, No. 12 (Text: Tieck) (3:21)
Wie froh und Frisch, Op. 33, No. 14 (Text: Tieck) (2:22) 

R. STRAUSS
Mein Herz ist stumm, mein Herz ist kalt, Op. 19, No. 6 (Text: Schack) (3:37)
Ich liebe Dich, Op. 37, No. 2 (Text: Liliencrom) (2:24)
Ruhe, meine Seele, Op. 27, No. 1 (Text: Henckell) (3:44)
Wiegenlied, Op. 41a, No. 1 (Text: Dehmel) (4:20)
Allerseelen, Op. 10, No. 8 (Text: Gilm) (3:22)
Zueignung, Op. 10, No. 1 (Text: Gilm) (1:53)
Du meines Herzens Krönelein, Op. 21, No. 2 (Text: Dahn) (2:31)
Ach Lieb’ ich muss nun scheiden, Op. 21, No. 3 (Text: Dahn) (2:16)]

J. Walter KRAMER
Now like a lantern (Text: Raphael) (2:50)

John Alden CARPENTER
When I bring to you colour’d toys (Text: Tagore) (2:20)
The sleep that flits on baby’s eyes (Text: Tagore) (2:34)

James H. ROGERS
At parting (Text: Peterson) (2:08)

Oley SPEAKS
Morning (Text: Stanton) (2:10)

Edwin McARTHUR
We have turned again home (Text: Towne) (2:49)
Night (Text: Towne) (2:53)

Deems TAYLOR
A song for lovers, Op. 13, No. 2 (Text: Stephens) (2:52)

Mildred TYSON
Sea moods (Text: Benham) (2:48)
Tracks 1-2: Recorded 17 March 1952
Tracks 3-14 and 21-22: Recorded 10 April 1952
Tracks 15-20 and 23: Recorded 18 March 1952

Tracks 1-4, 8-9 and 18-20 first issued on RCA Victor LM-1738
Tracks 5-7 and 15-17 first issued on RCA Victor LM-2825
Tracks 10-14 and 21-23 first issued on RCA Victor LM-1870

Recorded in RCA Studio No. 2, New York
Kirsten Flagstad soprano
Edwin McArthur piano

Total duration: 68:23

Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer: Mark Obert-Thorn
Cover artwork based on a photograph of Kirsten Flagstad

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