Review

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (Kathleen Ferrier)

Ferrier and Walter excel in Mahler's Swan Song.

by Greg Keane on 15 June, 2020

Composers: Mahler, Bach
Compositions: Das Lied von der Erde, Vergiss mein nicht, BWV 505, Ach, dass nicht die letzte Stunde, BWV 439, Bist du bei mir, BWV 508
Performers:John Newmark p, Kathleen Ferrier ca, Set Svanholm t, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter cond
Catalogue Number:Somm ARIADNE5007

Kathleen Ferrier’s voice was one of the greatest (and tragically short-lived ) phenomena of mid-20th-century music. One of the most striking things about this miraculously restored live 1948 recording is the directness of her utterance and expression in this performance – so different from that...