Like so many artists from north of the Alps, Wolf was lured by the Mediterranean south, an intoxicating world of light, sensual grace and intense, often violent emotions. His ‘Spanisches Liederbuch’ of 1889–90, 34 settings of Iberian folk poems translated by Emanuel Geibel and Paul Heyse, is the finest fruit of a long-lasting fascination with […]

This final volume in an exploration of the art of Irmgard Seefried, encompasses selections (arias and duets) from her oratorio recordings (Bach’s ‘St. Matthew Passion’, Haydn’s ‘Creation’ and Gounod’s ‘St. Cecilia Mass’) as well as the first issue on CD of her recording of Bach’s ‘Wedding’ Cantata. Seefried’s tonal purity, grace of phrase and care […]

Seefried’s radiance and imaginative strength made her a cherishable Lieder singer over an enterprisingly wide repertoire. The songs of Hugo Wolf, less frequently programmed in the 1940s and 50s than today, were something of a Seefried speciality. In her 1953 recording with Erik Werba of 22 songs from the ‘Italienisches Liederbuch’ (made five years before […]

Seefried’s radiance and imaginative strength made her a cherishable Lieder singer over an enterprisingly wide repertoire. She always championed the songs of Hugo Wolf, far less frequently programmed in the 1940s and 50s than today. In 1953, Seefried recorded with her regular pianist partner, Erik Werba, 22 numbers from Italienisches Liederbuch. Five years later she […]