Almost ten years after his passing, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau continues to amaze us with his seemingly infinite discography. The great German baritone was renowned for his intelligence and paying particular attention to the text, rendering it intelligible through his excellent diction and using it as the dynamic and rhythmic force behind every song he sang.
This exciting collection features concert recordings of a particularly ingenious programme of Lied, words written by poets and set to music by composers such as Goethe, Eichendorff and Dehmel. It features numerous musicians who have all been specially selected, including the quiet and eloquent Swiss pianist Karl Engel, the composer, pianist, and regular accompanist for many singers Aribert Reimann, as well as lifelong friend Wolfgang Sawallisch, a famous conductor and sought-after pianist who has played Lied and chamber music all of his life.
The final album in this superb anthology is dedicated to European romanticism, with music from composers from Italy, Germany, England, Austria and Sweden. Recorded at the Hochschule für Musik (The University of Music and Performing Arts) in Munich in 1983 at the end of the singer’s career, it features another specially chosen collaboration with pianist Hartmut Höll. Once again, Fischer-Dieskau’s encyclopaedic knowledge of music goes hand in hand with his exceptional talent for singing. © François Hudry/Qobuz