Such a great baritone. I love him so much. I never listened to him singing in Italian before though. He is great. I love his Schubert recordings, specially the Winterreise song cycle. I could never imagine him singing in Italian. Thanks a lot for this post.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, the great ambassador of the German “Lied” (songs by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Mahler, and more…), who also sang Bach’s cantatas, and other works of the baroque period; as well as just about every work ever written for the baritone voice-and in half a dozen languages-here sings, in Italian, the very charming canzonetta “Deh vieni alla finestra, o mio tesoro…” (Come here to your window, o my treasure), from Mozart’s revered opera Don Giovanni.
(Amazing rendition: Perfect tecnique e very refined fraseggio). Straordinaria interpretazione. Fischer-Dieskau è stato uno tra i più raffinati cantanti di sempre. Tecnica solidissima (a scapito di un materiale di partenza forse non a livello di altri suoi colleghi) e un fraseggio di rara bellezza. E' un vero piacere per l'orecchio ascoltare finalmente una voce naturale, senza sovrastrutture artificiose o "baritoneggiamenti" forzati.
Don Giovanni es mi opera favorita. Deh vieni a la finestra siempre me ha parecido una de las arias mas comprometidas de todo el repertorio lírico, no por su exigencia vocal, si no por la delicadeza que requiere de los intérpretes. Todas las versiones que escuché me dejaron una sensación de vacio que ha llenado esta versión de F-D ¡NO SE PUEDE CANTAR MEJOR!
I like his timbre and style. His voice among other barytones is something like the voice of Jose Carreras among other tenors. His voice is fulfilled with true emotions and it sounds so "humanly". I am a barytone too, and Fischer-Dieskau is one of the singers which are presenting the true feeling of classical music and giving the inspiration to sing it myself. P. S. Excuse me for my poor English.
I have heard F-D sing lots of other stuff. He is great. Sensitive. Great tone. He can sing real sweet. And here he shows that he too can achieve the notorious baritone-walrus tone quality.
It could be because its simply not an aria. The Catalog Aria is an aria, meaning its in a complex form rather like sonata form. Arias have contrasting sections. Many Mozart arias like "Dove Sono" are called double arias because they have a slow melodic section followed by faster louder section. This evolved later into the standard recit - aria - cabaletta convention of the mid 19th century opera. "Deh vieni" is just a simple strophic song. It is not grand enough to be called an aria.
My God, you're correct in stating that Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau did smoke. I didn't believe it, but I did some research, and in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung of 19th September 2002, he states: "Das Rauchen habe ich schon 20 Jahren sein lassen. Ich hatte 35 Jahre lange geraucht und dann von heute auf morgen aufgehört." This would mean, he started smoking in 1947, at the age of 22, and quit smoking in 1982, at the age of 57... My picture of him is falling apart! How did he manage to sing?
I had to do the whole thing of regitering to say that I agree with Fabienne P. DFD is unbeatable in Schubert Liedern, Winterrise and the Schöne Müllerin set the standard. In this particular case I found him a bit "sforzato". I think he was half way between baritono and basso. Anyways, que viva Mozart
@farinaci Allow me to have my own opinion, thank you. I agree with you when you say some baritones lack a bit articulation like Samuel Ramey but here it's a question of time. Nowadays it's getting better and better. I'm singing, baritone, and my teachers always insist on the fact of being understandable.
Agreed on both. I imagine Don Giovanni as more of a phony schemer during this aria-- FD seems too genuine in this aria. But his Schubert! Oh, his Schubert... it is unrivaled.
Yes, dear Epeolatry1, I think you're right. Some lucky ones seem to be vocally immune against obviously unhealthy external influences. I just have read that my very much adored compatriot soprano Lisa Della Casa was a heavy smoker too... Still, I'm sure that I won't have to start smoking instead of singing better ;-) Best regards and thanks, A. von Uri, Switzerland
I must admit, I really love him in this aria (I don't like him as much in Fin ch'han dal vino). I'm still not convinced by his whole performance as Don Giovanni (too... romantic). For me he remains the supreme reference for Schubert's Winterreise.
Odd - in the score this is marked as a "Canzonetta," rather than an "Aria." I wonder why. Maybe there's something in the context I'm clueless about, as I can't read Italian or German.
Well, he doesn't have to sound like a phony schemer in order to be one--as the joke goes, the main thing is sincerity--and if you can fake that, you've got it made.
Well, yes, but his real job is not to seduce the maid in the window, but to seduce the audience--and in that respect, the more beautiful the performance AND the more genuine, the better!
+Sue Harvey I do love it when people that know nothing about music show their ignorance so blatantly. Umm Sue, sorry to say this but you might want to check your hearing with your local doctor. His intonation, as always is spot on perfect. This guy was the ultimate technician.
