Contessa - Donna Anna - Fiordiligi with Léopold Simoneau as Don Ottavio
Recordings:
(selection) |
Operas: |
Humperdinck - Hänsel und Gretel (Karajan 1953/Schwarzkopf, Metternich, von Ilosvay, Schürhoff,
Felbermayer) |
EMI |
Mozart - Don Giovanni (Furtwängler 1953 live/Siepi, Schwarzkopf, Edelmann, Dermota, Arie, Berry, Berger) |
Gala |
Mozart - Don Giovanni (Furtwängler 1954 live/Siepi, Schwarzkopf, Dermota, Edelmann, Berry,
Berger, Ernster) |
EMI |
Mozart - Don Giovanni (Mitropoulos 1956 live/Siepi, della Casa, Simoneau, Corena, Streich, Berry, Frick)
|
Sony |
Mozart - Don Giovanni (Zanotelli 1960/Prey, Hillebrecht, Wunderlich, Köth, Kohn, Wiemann) |
EMI |
Mozart - Idomeneo (Fricsay 1961/Kmentt, Lorengar, Haefliger) |
DG |
Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier - Excerpts (Schüchter 1955/Rysanek, Köth, Neidlinger, Traxel) |
EMI |
Tchaikovsky - The Queen of Spades (Rother 1947/Schock, Klose, Prohaska, Müller, Nissen |
Gala |
Wagner - Götterdämmerung (Knappertsbusch 1957 live/Varnay, Windgassen, Uhde, von Ilosvay) |
Laudis |
Wagner - Götterdämmerung (Knappertsbusch 1958 live/Varnay, Windgassen, Wiener, Madeira) |
Arkadia |
Wagner - Lohengrin (Matacic 1959 live/Konya, Gorr, Blanc, Crass) |
Golden Melodram |
Wagner - Lohengrin (Kempe 1962/Thomas, Fischer-Dieskau, Ludwig, Frick, Wiener) |
EMI |
Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Kempe 1951/Frantz, Schock, Höffgen, Frick, Unger) |
EMI |
Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Cluytens 1957 live/ Neidlinger, Geisler, Greindl, Stolze, von
Milinkovich) |
Music&Arts |
Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Knappertsbusch 1960 live/Greindl, Adam Schmitt-Walter,
Windgassen, Stolze, Schärtel) |
Golden Melodram |
Wagner - Das Rheingold (Knappertsbusch 1957 live/Hotter, Suthaus, Stolze, von Milinkovic, von Ilosvay)
|
Laudis |
Wagner - Das Rheingold (Knappertsbusch 1958 live/Hotter, Uhl, Stolze, Gorr, von Ilosvay) |
Arkadia |
Wagner - Tannhäuser (Konwitschny 1966/Beirer, Schech, Frick, Fischer-Dieskau) |
EMI |
Weber - Der Freischütz (Furtwängler 1954 live/Hopf, Streich, Böhme, Poell, Czerwenka, Böhme) |
Gala |
Weber - Der Freischütz (E. Kleiber 1955/Hopf, Streich, Proebstl, Poell, Horn, Böhme) |
Opera d’oro |
Weber - Der Freischütz (Keilberth 1958/Schock, Otto, Prey, Kohn, Wiemann, Frick) |
EMI |
Opera recitals: |
Recital (live recordings and broadcasts of Così fan tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro, Pique Dame, Freischütz,
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and songs) |
Melodram |
Recital (Arias by Mozart, Strauss, Wagner, Weber and Thomas) |
EMI |
Lieder/Songs: |
Songs by Schubert, Brahms (G. Moore), Grieg and 3 excerpts from Otello |
Testament |
Songs by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Schoeck and Wolf (A. Reimann) |
Orfeo |
Strauss - Four Last Songs (Kraus 1970 live) |
Gala |
Elisabeth Grümmer - Berlin and Munich Concerts 1948 - 1956 |
Gala |
Oratorios: |
Bach - St. Matthew Passion (Furtwängler 1954 live) |
EMI |
Bach - St. John Passion (Forster 1962) |
EMI |
Brahms - German Requiem (Kempe 1955) |
EMI |
Haydn - Die Schöpfung (Forster 1960) |
EMI |
Mozart - Requiem (Kempe 1955) |
EMI |
Bach - Several Cantatas |
--- |
Compilations: |
Grosse Mozartsänger Vol. 2 1949 - 1960 |
Orfeo |
Mike Richter’s Opera Page: The Record of Singing Vol. 4 |
CD-ROM |
As the Countess in “Capriccio” Comment:
Elisabeth Grümmer possessed a beautiful voice and there was an entire lack of artifice about her singing. She concentrated on a few roles (comparable to Elisabeth Schwarzkopf). The two
Elisabeths had a different approach to singing and how to build a career...Grümmer’s career, on disc at least, was less substantial than it should have been, given her gifts.
However, the precious few recordings she did leave are treasurable, and, for those who did not hear her in flesh, they afford confirmation of the qualities that made her a great artist.
How to describe her voice? Here some attributes: Freshness, warmth, sweetness, aristocratic style, perfectly sustained legato line, inner emotion, seriousness achieved with utter simplicity,
clear-voiced, unaffected, innocent, innate musicality, youthful girlish grace, excellent diction ... Is there one single recording in which she does not “bear her soul?” Some of her Wagner
recordings (Lohengrin, Tannhäuser) were made rather late in her career when she was already in her fifties. But she managed to retain her voice fresh and youthful until her retirement.
Freischütz, Hänsel und Gretel, Don Giovanni and the Wagner operas are integral opera recordings of reference. She is Agathe for all time (I prefer the recording contucted by
Keilberth who was a great but underrated conductor). She is a superb Lieder singer. I especially love her in Othmar Schoeck’s songs. He composed
wonderful songs and, for reasons I cannot understand, they have been barely accepted to this day. Schumann’s Frauenliebe- und Leben is truly heartfelt because she believes and trusts in
Chamisso’s text! Her singing is pure inner emotion. The most beautiful Ihr habt nur Taurigkeit (German Requiem by Brahms) is performed by Elisabeth Grümmer (perfect singing “on the breath”).
|
Crudele!...Non mi dir, bell’idol mio with Léopold Simoneau (Donna Anna in Don Giovanni / Mozart / 1956 live / Dimitri Mitropulos)
Nachtlied
(Mendelssohn / Sender Freies Berlin 1963 / Aribert Reimann) As the Marschallin
|