Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sings "Im Abendrot" - Vier Letzte Lieder - Richard Strauss 

Saw her live in 2010 (or 2011?) at Marin Center. I was about 48 at the time - large man, sitting in the center of the 4th row. She performed with a pianist, doing arias, etc. I kept my facial expression neutral (with some effort), but the tears flowed. She looked at me a couple of times -- once while I was wiping a tear. She's probably accustomed to it, but it was an unforgettable experience for me. Her voice is beyond description - and trust me, I have heard quite a few other female soloists - dozens, actually. It's difficult for me to listen to any other female opera singer since that performance. The only other female singer I would put in her class would be Elizabeth Fraser - Scottish singer.

One of the few truly great composers of the 20th century. Combined with one of the greatest voices. STUPENDOUS. Thank you.

Superb rendition of one of the greatest songs of the twentieth century.

The end of an era in music ... from the Eroica to Four Last Songs ...

Recorded 28 years ago. A time when classical music was still valued and shown on TV as well as the radio. Two great artists performing at a venue outside of London, a packed audience, smartly dressed, the Duke and Duchess of Kent seen applauding on the balcony at the end. In Britain now, I wonder what proportion of the population would have even heard of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the late Sir Georg Solti , who died in 1997 ? More younger people need to hear great music and not just the bog standard chart stuff that many seem to prefer.

In the 2021 Classic FM Hall of Fame the Four Last Songs rose 56 places from 167 to 111. There is hope.

in abendrot...al tramonto...sublime musica di R.Strauss diretta sir Georg Solti e cantata dalla delicatissima ma intensa e straordinaria voce della meravigliosa Kirii..un Paradiso....

I love Strauss's Last Four Songs by Kiri Te Kanawa.

Johann Sebastian Bach m'a donné l'envie de devenir compositeur, Richard Strauss m'a fait comprendre que je ne le deviendrais jamais. La perfection de cette œuvre est le zénith de 10 siècles de musique occidentale. Qui pourrait aller encore plus loin ? L'interprétation, sublime; sans vibrato inutile, sans portamento - arme des lâches - , sans crier, pleine de nuances... Il faudrait déclarer Kiri Te Kanawa Patrimoine Mondial de l'Humanité... pour qu'il nous appartienne un peu à tous.

oh how deep this touches my soul. The end of all our roads.

Has there ever been a more glorious sound than that note, which just floats out of Ms Te Kanawa at 3:54?! It is absolutely beautifully sublime and her interpretation of these 4 last songs of Strauss, for me, still reign supreme! BRAVA!

This music is so beautiful, that it makes me cry each time i listen to it. Thank you Richard Strauss and thank you Kiri Te Kanawa.

Sublime perfection: brings me to tears every time I hear this.

Kann ich nur alleine hören. Wem hier keine Tränen kommen, der muss ein Stein sein

Décidément, Solti aime les tempos énergiques. Te Kanawa effleure toujours les mots, mais qu'importe, ses notes sont tellement belles, sa ligne est tellement majestueuse au dessus d'un orchestre éblouissant, que l'émotion éclot d'elle-même, au-delà du pouvoir des mots. C'est plus de la magie que l'art du lied, mais je m'en fous, c'est tellement beau...

The note she sings at 3:58 on the Abendrot is just supremely sublime and divine! Bravissima!

sublime..i have so much trouble deciding which is my favorite i just have to listen to them all again and i love all of these pieces so much more with orchestra..well, if it has Kiri in front of it

Einfach wunderbar ! Die Musik und die Interpreten ! Grossartig ! Danke fürs Hochladen ! 5:53 : Bruckner VII ! Hier der Text von Joseph von Eichendorff : Im Abendrot Wir sind durch Not und Freude Gegangen Hand in Hand: Vom Wandern ruhen wir beide Nun überm stillen Land. Rings sich die Täler neigen, Es dunkelt schon die Luft, Zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen Nachträumend in den Duft. Tritt her und laß sie schwirren, Bald ist es Schlafenszeit, Daß wir uns nicht verirren In dieser Einsamkeit. O weiter, stiller Friede! So tief im Abendrot, Wie sind wir wandermüde - Is dies etwa der Tod?

La sua voce incanta..perfetta!!...sempre!!!...Solti riesce "a fermare il tempo" trasformando il tutto in un sogno...

*my soul feels like it's flying*

Wow! A wonderful performance by one of my favorite pieces from the Richard Strauss oeuvre. I've been in love with Dame Kiri since before she was a Dame!

Her beautiful singing voice is out of this world, and a great tranqulizer to the human

La más emotiva de todas las versiones que he escuchado de este tema. Kiri es especial❤️

It may not seem like it, but to stand there for a minute and a half, after having sung the last note on a flat-6 chord (not even a proper final cadence) is a hell of a thing. The lyrics end on a question, and only the gradual darkening of the sky depicted by the orchestra’s final measures responds. Her vocal performance is perfect, but the way Dame Kiri Te holds herself for those last measures is just as regal and dignified as her voice. Strauss made a brilliant decision in choosing to let the final question not be answered in words, making the audience really immerse themselves in the fearful uncertainty, but also welcome rest, of approaching death.

Thank you Dame Kiri! Great, great post. This is supremely beautiful, and Sir Georg & Dame Kiri are FABULOUS!

A really wonderful performance.

Bellissima interpretazione e ottima direzione. Grazie

We are so so lucky to have these moments from Kiri Te Kanawa....I sigh and shills throb throughout my body....

Strauss' music perfectly captures the autumnal feeling of the poem, in which the aged couple, wearied of wandering, await death. Solti's conducting of this number has always been somewhat too penny-plain and matter-of-fact (his 1977 performance with Lucia Popp is similarly prosaic), but te Kanawa is completely within Eichendorff and Strauss' purple-hued æsthetic here, and gives a worthy rendition of this haunting number. Brava.

I love everything about this performance. Undescribable.

The most beautiful song, the most beautiful singing, the most beautiful singer!

No tengo palabras para expresar lo exquisita que suena su voz con esta interpretación.

Who would not fall in LOVE with this performance: THE COMPOSER OF DIVINITY, 1st Chair Conductor, VOICE of the LOVE/ KIRI TE KANAWA💋💋💋

bravissima la adoro !!! gran classe ,un solo "difetto" l'abito!!!!

Quizás no sea una soprano completa,pero su versión con Sír George Solti es de lo mejor.

Magnifique Dame kiri Te Kinawa! Belle voix !!🌹🌹🌹

back again! still divine :)

Fantastic voice!

Great quality recording. Wonderful!

So very lovely.

no words. more than perfect.

BEAUTIFUL! BRAVISSIMA!

A me piace questo tempo un pò vivace....sublime musica bellissima voce love love love..

Una bella voz para una deliciosa música.

Bedankt voor deze inspirerende klanken I.B.

perfect ...

divino, sublime

splendido e lei è bellissima.

Orchestra under Solti so vibrant, He and Kiri clearly had a rapport. Feast your ears!!!!!!

Un solo aggettivo: BELLISSIMO

Simplemente maravillosa.!!

Such a romance. Georg and Kiri. They so admired each other's work.

Absolute beauty

Kiri Te Kanawa i el mestre Solti dirigin, fan una meravella musical de l'obra de Richard Straus. Sempre és un plaer escoltar a Kiri, per`en aquesta peça ho broda.

Stunning! Beatiful vocal ine, gorgeous orchestratio, great performance (Sir Gyorgy surely rates a mention even tho' he's much less beautiful than Dame Kiri). The closing bars recall the coda from a Bruckner adagio - the highest praise.

Sublime

BELLO EL CANTO Y BELLA LA CANTANTE...

Was there (Free Trade Hall, Manchester) a year or two before this when Alison Hargan sang the songs flawlessly, again with the BBC Phil.

I appreciate the craftsmanship of Georg Solti! But personally I prefer a bit slower speed. Accepting death is usually a slow process!

creme de creme .. richard strauss well-deserved...

Pure, unadulterated magic.

Bestes Orchester (Dirigat) und stimmliche Interpretin

In case anyone ever doubted that there was a supreme being in the Universe, all they have to do is listen to THIS and it answers that question!!! What a god-given treasure is Dame Kiri Te Kanawa!!! I first heard this on "The Year of Living Dangerously" with Mel Gibson and I was hooked on Kiri's voice.

I think Solti has the tempo right. Most recordings drag the tempo through the dirt and you can't feel the continuity or experience the harmonic function. I wonder if tempi are taken slow just to occupy more time in the concert...when I heard Renee Fleming sing it at Ravinia, they programmed so it took the entire second half of the evening. Taking at Solti's tempo allows the music to speak for itself.

DOLCISSIMA

We will sail round the cape of good hope and we will sail around the horn!

I'd love for Solti's conducting to be just a tad less pedestrian and driven to allow for the sumptiousness of the music the unrushed journey from ear to brain... to heart and soul. Kiri is perfect - as she always was - for Strauss. In her 1st recording of the Four Last Songs with Andrew Davies I think voice and orchestra are better suited in their pairing

BRAVA

This Kiri Te K at the height of her powers. Her rapport with Solti is obvious. It does overpower the listener with an excess of sound, from either soloist or orch. It encourages reflection as the composer wanted.

Божественная! Одна из лучших певиц в 20 веке! Когда слушаешь Даму Кири те Канаву, то кажется , что её голос течёт с Небес!

The opening tempo of the introduction is too fast for my taste. The counterpoint of the violins at the end of the introduction is exquisite, and there is little time to savor their pathos. More moderate tempo of the rest more to my liking, and her interpretation and singing is lovely.

Nach Soile Isokoski die zweitbeste Interpratation, aus meiner Sicht; da hat Sir G. Solti bestimmt großen Anteil daran.

Deliciosa musia

Gibt es etwas ergreifenderes ? Grossen Dank für die Wiedergabe.

Insuperabili....

In response to "excalibur1812": I, too, had never heard this piece until I saw the same film. I sometimes lull myself to sleep listening to the Four Last Songs. En réponse à Mattheiu Degott: Vous vous exprimez de façon très élégante. In response de "vistasofaldebaran": Yes, the dress was a poor choice.

che bell'intesa... fra orchestra e questo Direttore da me molto amato....e lei sicura....peccato l'abito Tirolese di lei....ma forse §Strauss era Austriaco e va bene così.....una vera spada di luce crepuscolare dove Chiunque si interroghi sulla morte ...sa che l'Eterno è Luce pura?

While this is beautiful, I actually prefer the 1978 version conducted by Andrew Davis. The analog recording creates an etheial resonance. Dame Kiri said about the recording it was the first time a recording sounded like her voice sounded to her when she sings.

@Jeke316 yeah that :)

To Manila Sayang; You could sing them, there's nothing to stop you. But I doubt weather it's been done publicly. Strauss wrote these last four for the soprano voice-his undoubted favorite vocal range. I'd be very wary of attempting it.

Im Abendrot" (At Sunset

That fast intro by Solti really works. The other account by Solti and the Chicago with Lucia Popp is very poorly recorded and sounds shrill.

Noel Edmonds makes an appearance very early on.

I love it but is the orchestra over powering Kiri a bit to much ?. Kiri has such a beautiful voice.

The orchestra’s playing is so overwrought, the mistake of the conductor, it threatens to swallow Dame Te Kanawa’s gorgeous tone whole.

I'm teasing.

@excalibur1812 YOLD used another Strauss song (Beim Schlafengehen)

Honest question: Can these 4 last songs be sung by a male (baritone maybe)? How come I can't find any recording with male vocalist?

@cubanbach cccchills ...I meant :)

Just love Kiri Te Kanawa who is perfect soloist in this beautiful elegy, but the tempo is too fast. Renee Fleming did a wonderful job, but a much slower tempo.

the end of the occidental civilation

EXQUISITA

a MODERN RECORDING WOULD DO HER REAL CREDIT. HERE THE MUSIC OVERPOWERS THE VOICE ?

I was wondering why Kiri Te Kanawa sounded so LOUD in this video/recording and the I realized that there was a MICROPHONE right there below her! She is NOT a dramatic/powerful voice!

Yes, more glorious is Jessye’s incomparble Vier Letzte Lieder.

There is a wonderful documentary showing Dame Kiri rehearsing with Maestro Solti for this performance, here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0YGIzhXAGw4.html

Bless her for trying. You can see what it takes for her to try and get this interpretation across and it doesn't come across as naturally flowing at all. Just cannot understand why she is admired.

Оркестр заглушает голос. Думаю, это не ошибка дирижёра, а огрехи записи.

Give me Schwartzkopf every time This is an Elegy not a race

Nicely done , and that "Abendrot" at 3:52 is truly glorious, but I prefer the final "tod" at the end as executed by Schwarzkopf and Norman: shading it down into sheer nothingness, whereas Dame Te Kanawa releases it with an abrupt click. I suppose it works for those who can find no fault in her, but I'll take Schwarzkopf and Norman.