Jessye Norman - R. Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder

[@herbertvanmarion]

I understand completely lad this is so very very very beautiful ❤️ I have not enough word's to express myself this is heavenly, I think God will be happy at the moment to have her in heaven, lucky God!!!❤😅😊😢

[@hwh1946]

Listening to this the after I heard my brother died earlier today. He loved these songs and we talked about them just last week. He was 78; I am 75 and close to the end. This is the ultimate consolation.

[@phalanxcare3687]

Had the same when my dog died. Feeling with you.

[@barkebaat]

@@phalanxcare3687 : for f*ck's sake, mate! 'my brother died' DOES NOT EQUAL 'my dog died' you must be american -- no decency

[@AlanTubeViewer]

This is definitely the master piece I want to hear on my death bed with my 2 children at my side as we played it all 3 in the same orchester summer 2021.

[@YaleinPrague]

@@AlanTubeViewerCould you be more maudlin?

[@Constitution1789]

Hug.

[@neila.b.5614]

I’m a metalhead. When I heard this for the first time on Spotify and on my way to school. I cried like a baby.

[@TheWriterWalker]

Neil A.B., what a great compliment you gave.

[@davidpayne697]

Unrelated to this, but I reccommend Wagner. He's like the Metal of opera.

[@anastasiaochanina8810]

i came to opera singing through metal :) it's not so far

[@Dr__Feelgood]

Why is it that you guys always have to announce the "metalhead" qualifier every single time you're in a section that you seem to feel would think that your being mushy deep inside after all 😅 despite the "solid metal" exterior (i.e. as opposed to mercury, the "female" of the group in that section of the table of elements, perhaps)? Lol. We're all the same mush peeps around here and, I GUARANTEE YOU, just as your metal-mates are, unless one of them is a psychopath lacking in any capacity for the natural human trait of empathy, which can be anyone random really, including (just to stress my point even more stridently by citing the prime example of someone who would have been on the opposite end of the spectrum as yours) that nurse in the UK named Lucy Letby who has recently been on the news for the horrific killing & failed attempts to kill multiple babies. So this message is really for everyone from me to ask that we all please just stop & think about how we all contribute to this "toxic masculinity" culture & how we might be able to combat it so that our FRIEND (of any gender) METALHEAD here & any other person don't any more feel the need to state any qualifier before sharing that they, too, are HUMANS like we all are. ❤

[@peternolan4107]

Suggestion: listen to Jessye Norman singing "Morgen," another of Strauss' lieder. Find out the English translation of the lyrics (if you do not know German) beforehand. To me it is the greatest love song of all time.

[@wayneshum]

beautiful songs brought me to tears

[@eric644]

Rest In Peace, goddess of music. Jessye in her prime was a miracle of voice and technique, unequalled in the Four Last Songs. She achieves a transcendence and spiritual depth that no one else can match. Strauss himself would probably have been overjoyed if only he could have heard this. This live performance is a wonderful addition to her classic recording with Masur, one of the greatest recordings of all time.

[@JadeValour]

Absolutely. No one has ever sung these songs the way she did. Transcendent, incandescent.

[@dagmarkunzel5406]

Ruhe in Frieden, Jessye Norman. "Im Abendrot" ist mein absoluter Favorit. Jetzt hat sie es selber erlebt. Ich werde Sie nie vergessen.

[@doubledee9675]

I'm now close to 80. I can't remember how many accounts of these I've heard over the years, but this is at the very top

[@zava0]

Die Vier Letzte Lieder is to me one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed and no one but the divine, heaven-sent Jessye Norman was BORN to sing this. I can listen to this a thousand times over and I am brought to tears precisely the same way. Thank you Strauss for your unique capacity of recreating what paradise sounds like with your harmonies.

[@tfleiter]

This might sound strange but Jessye Norman"s German was excellent and I think it makes a difference for performing these pieces: she could really interpret the words because she understood them. Stunningly beautiful and how lucky we are that audio- and video recordings of her and those who performed with her are readily available and will stay with us. Thanks for posting this!

[@valleyheart-Resistance]

Vier letzte Lieder may have been beautifully sung by quite a few excellent sopranos, but to me, Jessye Norman's are sheer perfection. Masur, Sawallisch, Levine, Ozawa... They are all different but I love all of Jessye's VLL's.

[@LifeforArt]

Man bedenke: Das ist live! Viele Sängerinnen schaffen diese tiefe, wahre Reinheit nicht einmal im Stdudio.

[@holyfox94]

The one and only Jessye Norman. The greatest‼️ Forever‼️

[@bronxboy47]

R.I.P, sweet Jessye. I will never forget you.

[@jdeeside]

This is one of the treasures on KZbin. She looks beautiful and sounds divine. Has to be ranked as one of the top two interpreters of these beloved songs.

[@reginogelsebuus9585]

+Jason Strathdee I think she is the top Try fo listen to all the other wonderful interpreters, - SHE is the top

[@SavvasKozi-sb6dz]

​@@reginogelsebuus9585yes, the TOP. Couldn't agree more! No one sings Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs as she does.

[@tinplater]

For more than thirty years I have treasured her Phillips' recording of Strauss Songs and listened to it countless times. Always so moving, extraordinary.

[@ecrelisioribeiro6416]

So have I! Actually, afte 7:13 7:16 r listening the LP, I gave dozens of CDs to everybody I knew. Jessye, Masur and the Gawendhous: my idea of perfection. The absolute glory of XX century recording history!

[@ZackGasse]

Jessye R.I.P. Sept30th, 2019

[@longterm54]

Rest easy my dear beautiful, talented lady. Thank you for sharing so much. Your gifts will live on.

[@joostvandaalen1689]

Stunning performance!! Rest in Abendrot, Empress of the Vier Letzte Lieder!

[@dantewalston2755]

One of the greatest Strauss interpretations of the century.

[@carlfigueiredo2095]

THE performance of this great masterpiece, PAR EXCELLENCE!!!! RIP, beloved Jessye Norman!

[@dagmarkunzel5406]

Rest in peace, Jessye Norman. "Im Abendrot" is my absolute favorite. Now she has experienced it herself. I will never forget you.

[@tomgottshalk2747]

Perhaps the greatest under-rated singer of all time. Her tone as an instrument is pure gold. Wonderful.

[@Ridicolosamente]

Underrated by whom? She is indeed remarkable.

[@thomasmerkelbach2755]

Underrated? Where, when, by whom? Norman wasn‘t and isn‘t underrated.

[@paulsomers6048]

Under rated?? Top rated all her career!!

[@axe7064]

I understand what you mean by under-rated. In the professional operatic world she did not get the respect of a Dame Joan Sutherland, Callas, Flagstad or Schwartzkopf. To my ears she sings everyone under the table, she makes me cry. Other Soprano's sound lack lustre, lacking in something ...but true opera fans LOVED Jessye. When interviewed about her career Jessye obviously faced racist attitudes but that made her even more determined on her quest for excellence, She did things her way. She was a perfectionist. That voice, coupled with a commanding, but beautiful stage presence . Regal and proud she blew you away. Who could possibly deny her? she was in a class of her own. I must say as a black person she gave me immense pride. You see Jessye Norman had to be a freak of nature, she had to be that good to command the career she had as a black woman, otherwise she would never have made it

[@Marcel_Audubon]

on what planet was Jessye Norman under-rated?!? she was one of the most celebrated sopranos of the 20th century!!

[@mrrkdino]

No but no one sings these songs like Norman. Stunning performance.

[@musicandme1982]

Rest in Love Jessey you still my heart with your mighty voice Bravo Queen Bravo💚💛🧡

[@yuopilaf]

If there is music to transport me to heaven; this is it. There were moments in the Im Abendrot I could feel the music embracing my soul so sweetly.

[@jlb9368]

Such an effortless outpouring of meltingly beautiful cascades of sound! This cannot be taught - this comes from a place that’s entirely in an exalted realm where all finite teachings must end. This is not a person singing, this is a channel of that eternal beauty that lies within us all.

[@williamparsons8535]

There is something amazing in the spinning way Miss Norman sings these songs.

[@DavidBerlin07]

One of opera's most velvety voices, always a pleasure to listen to. Rest in peace Jessye.

[@fajeartha]

This is a glorious performance of these beautiful songs of Richard Strauss - Jessye Norman is just incredible in her reading of this wonderful music.

[@JK-xz6mj]

The finale of September... it's indescribable.

[@pvanderveen2762]

2 maal heb ik haar mogen zien en horen in het concertgebouw amsterdam!! onvergetelijk !! wat n stem, zij is voor mij de enige vertolkster van de letste lieder!

[@neiladlington950]

Amazing how she gets such volume on such soft notes.

[@wayneshum]

That s why she is so special

[@wayneshum]

something to do with her chest cavity

[@crchieco]

She is sublime. These are sublime. NO ONE sings them better.

[@jeanie6279]

+Catherine Chieco Sublime, that is a good word for her voice!

[@glenndabreo3581]

+Jeanie DeCoster I aggree. No one sings them better. Elizabeth Swartzkopff come close...

[@VesiustheBoneCruncher]

Glenn D'Abreo Close true, but she doesn't have the sheer lung capacity, and as a result can't handle the tempo Norman does, which imo is vital. I also think the falcon voice sits better with the orchestra in these.

[@ornatal4454]

Catherine Chieco hkhgggfffdd

[@loge10]

Disagree - these don't move me nearly as much as Glendula Janowitz's do - but I guess it's a matter of different tastes. But then, I think it's about personality. Norman has a flamboyant personality which distracts me where some may think Janowitz as dull externally but for me her depth is unsurpassed and she expresses it fully in her singing. Her Strauss is second to NONE.

[@jamesburke8963]

This is the first time I have listened to Miss Normans interpretation of these songs before this i listened to Jessye singing Mahlers Rueckert Lied Ich bin der welt abhanden gekommen ,I have to honestly say I am very impressed with Miss Normans German,I am English I live in Germany and know how difficult its pronuciation is she nails it ,she has taken time to clearly pronounce the words lots of other very top Sopranos haven't done this and they just sing a jumble of words,she clearly understood what the componist wrote and wanted her to sing,Jessye will be leading the choir in Heaven,God Bless and Cherish Her Talent.

[@derplueschdoktor1566]

Adieu, Jessye! Auch wenn Ihre große Karriere vor meiner Zeit war, durfte ich diese großartige Sängerin und Persönlichkeit noch in der Berliner Philharmonie erleben. Ihre Strauss-Aufnahmen gehören zu meinen absoluten Lieblingen. Wie traurig, dass eventuell vermeidbare Komplikationen nach ihrer Rückenmarksverletzung sie zu früh aus dem Leben gerissen haben. Aber ihr musikalischer Nachlass macht sie unsterblich.

[@franzputz8285]

jessy norman and strauss .. wow ... its a inner picture with a great voice ..

[@fathershuler277]

Of all the recordings in my library (and I have ten of the Four Last Songs) the Norman/Masur version remains my absolute favorite. This video is heaven. Nothing touches me so deeply as Miss Norman and Richard Strauss. My life changes for the better every time I hear and see this. Thank you, Jessye!

[@anabrito542]

I absolutely agree with you! IThank you Jessye and Masur. I think the sound of the orchester is essential to the splendour of this version

[@helbiglilian3]

I was a young girl during the communist era in Leipzig when I discovered this record in a shop, produced with late Kurt Masur. Neither I understood opera very well nor music by Richard Strauss, but I was fascinated by the mood of this music when I listened to it for the first time. The era of Jessy Norman is over but we can still listened to her great voice.

[@mauritsschmidt]

try elisabeth schwartzkopf as well!

[@stefanhofer8491]

lili #

[@johnpont2442]

The miracle is how she absolutely owns the technical and expressive flawlessness we only expect from the controlled environment of a recording studios. Here he is just as perfect as the Masur recording. It proves a level of mastery of the music i cant even fathom.

[@necessarydiva]

Miss Norman transports the soul in this music. RIP Queen!

[@crc1934]

There were none like her before and there will be none like her after. The sheer beauty of her Four Last Songs rendition will go on into the eternities. Thank you for ever, Jessye!

[@littlekiwi9724]

I always imagined that there was a bit of sound-technician wizardry behind the huge voice in the Masur recording. I was so wrong! What a voice, what a performance!

[@jimp4170]

You should have heard her in real life. My god!

[@peterhartig6992]

Stunning performance, stunning soprano... no one sings Vier Letzte Lieder like you Jessye... looking forward to seing you again on a peaceful Earth “where death will be no more.” (Rev 21:4)

[@gerdlindlar1980]

breathtaking, outstanding, overwhelming

[@Hermes10155]

This is my favorite recording of all time. I have played that old CD a million times, and am affected the same way each time. You could hang me out to dry....Her phrasing and sound are unmatched, and I have several recordings back to the 70's.

[@tomfenn7149]

RIP Jessye Norman. Thank you for the most incredible music.

[@ophragoetz6461]

One of the most beautiful voices EVER!!

[@reginogelsebuus9585]

Oh she is wodnerful, totally sublime. No one has her expression, feeling and voice.

[@packer812]

What a stunningly beautiful voice she had. I don't like to rate singers but it is clear that she is among the greatest interpreters of these sublime songs. Rest in peace Ms Norman.

[@phantasm1004]

Jessye Norman...sublime and effortness. She makes it look so easy! I have NEVER heard any singer, male or female, who has anywhere near the breath control that Jessye has. There are a lot of sustained notes in these songs and some of them seem to go on forever, but again...Jessye makes it look so easy!

[@signekroner4588]

Yeah...which it is NOT. She is wonderful.

[@lorenzley1324]

She is already an unforgettable legend. She was the best interpreter of the Four Songs of Strauss.

[@johannesbrahms7414]

A Transcendent, most beautiful, most enjoyable, Experience, of which a major component is the Sublime, lyrical, long-lined melodic delivery by the RICH, HUGE, IMPOSING VOICE of Jessye Norman!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@bobinouc598]

How wonderful to see this again after all there years. Saw it years ago on French TV. Love her recording of the songs with Masur.and the Gewandhaus.

[@agelessprajna2955]

she really owns these, nothing more to be said

[@jeanie6279]

This is wonderful. When I hear other voices in this realm of opera, I wish to be hearing only Jessye Norman. All the voices are beautiful, but there is something more powerfully exquisite and more deeply touching in Jessye Norman's voice. I don't know what it is exactly. But I have to be hearing Jessye Norman, not someone else.

[@gaspardaeschimann2282]

+Jeanie DeCoster I agree

[@IvanMillsIlovebeethoven]

Ms. Norman's breath control gives her the room, the freedom to express musically with a range of vocal nuance that isn't available to singers without both the. Lung capacity and ability to control the air streaming over her vocal cords so astoundingly well. I've never heard another singer to even come close to Ms. Norman in the technical aspect of singing. Ms. Norman nade the statement (paraphrased) "I express my art, my music with my breath." She did not say voice. She explicitly said breath.

[@bulova9284]

@@IvanMillsIlovebeethoven Agreed!!!

[@TheJanieLee]

@silverbud a book? I dare say this is not my favorite music, but she's spectacular with her lug capacity and ability to use it making her windpipe sing like a well tuned instrument. She does very well indeed.

[@sorinion61]

Amazing voice, extraordinary queen-like presence, outstanding! RIP, my Diva.

[@hape3862]

I heard the Four last Songs with Jessye and Celi in Munich. The most beautiful and intense 25 Minutes in my entire life. We gave her 20 minutes(!) standing ovations.

[@skzion2]

I have that bootlegged recording. Agree totally.

[@alexanderdupuis]

Loved her so much. And her performances of the Four Last Songs are just heavenly. She had a voice like a cello. I got to see her live in San Diego twice, in 1976 and again in 1991. I miss Jessye Norman.

[@georgefirk5531]

When you hear music this beautiful.....”what can one say.”

[@christiankliber]

[@azcoyote2]

IN MY ENTIRE FILE IN PROFESSIONAL MUSIC I NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THIS!! TOTAL BRAVO

[@rocco7131]

A pleasure to listen to this great singer.

[@georgemckoy5837]

I was BLESSED to hear Ms Norman twice. Her voice is monumental. Her musicianship impeccable. Her delivery incredibly moving. Truly a GREAT Artist. I confess; these lieder sung by HER, always, at some point bring tears...

[@charmaineberghan9270]

Heard this the other day and stopped what I was doing and laid down on the floor closed my eyes and went to paradise...I listened to the whole CD it was so captivating......I agree with Jeanie DeCoster....beautiful.Truly

[@ericdoran24]

Superb. I have got to stop pealing onions listening to this song. :)

[@bazzaah]

I have loved Jessye's rendering of these songs for over 20 years. Sublime - never heard anyone sing these sings better,

[@laurenzerl5159]

quelle voix magnifique, jamais métallique. L'avoir vue une fois sur scène a été un grand moment !! Elle a été, et reste grâce à ses enregistrements, grandiose. Merci pour votre gand art Jessye Norman !!!!!!

[@JohnChambers-lh5bw]

Beautiful , just beautiful . RIP Ms Norman , and RIP to maestro Strauss for creating such a masterpeice

[@craigbloomfield8546]

Every singer has a certain work that seems to have been composed for him or her. This is undeniably an ideal work for Normal. She is one of very few singers who can be beautifully stormy. Wonderful.

[@道-p2e]

what a control by her totally through,

[@TheWriterWalker]

Craig Bloomfield, "beautifully stormy"? How beautiful!

[@Olgaalwina]

Mutter Erde des Gesanges !!!!!!!!!!

[@enriquesanchez2001]

R E S T IN P E A C E ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

[@marinacaracciolo3161]

Wir werden Dich nie vergessen, geliebte, wundervolle Jessye! (30.IX.2019)

[@道-p2e]

Wow, what a gift to the world! God bless you soul, blessed to hear your voice,

[@nickwright6034]

This is a magnificent performance and recording. Jessye Norman RIP. Thank you.

[@brolobear]

At the end of Beim Schlafengehn, most sopranos do a beautiful fading away affect. Norman doesn't approach death quietly and peacefully...she rejoices and exults in it . By singing straight through with a crescendo, it gives the piece a whole new view. Norman is the Mistress of Interpretation.

[@mariposamarshall9773]

Indeed she is- The Interpretation Empress

[@joseluisrodriguez1468]

Un gran compositor, una estupenda orquesta y Director y unas voces maravillosas se puede pedir más

[@quetzalcoatltopiltzin2423]

I love her.

[@VesiustheBoneCruncher]

As others have said the great key is the breath control. These tempi are not achievable for anyone else - more so on the infamous recording. Coupled with that sonorous tone, immaculate diction and even more importantly the consummate musicianship I can't imagine these performances being surpassed. Extraordinary.

[@jasonhurd4379]

The one thing you omitted from your list of virtues is the meaning of the words, and here Norman falls far short. She is so caught up in drawing attention to her laudable breath control and dynamic range that she misses the heartbreaking poetry in the words. She forgets that the texts she is singing have actual semantic meaning, and uses them merely as props over which to drape her lush vocalism. If this is her approach, why sing words at all? Just turn it into a vocalise, and you won't have those pesky consonants to bother with! The audience can sit back and luxuriate in the flowing tone, and turn to one another smugly, nodding their heads complacently in the shared conviction that they have experienced 'high culture'.

[@nancyJ976]

@@jasonhurd4379 You do not have to disqualify the audiences to express your opinion on Norman's performance quality.

[@sighiguess]

@@jasonhurd4379 🙄

[@marcelolasta6636]

No puede ser azar.No puede ser casualidad pura,que se despidiera un last day of September.Y ELLA lo cantaba con toda la dulzura cósmica a ese lied de Strauss......Ahora nos rige por eones con su arte inolvidable.Gratitud Jessye.

[@caninbar]

How anyone could dislike this video is beyond me. But then when one looks at what's going on in this world, it becomes relevant. People have difficulty understanding true beauty and greatness and choose cheap thrills and fast pleasure instead. One of our species' shortcomings.

[@Marielegoth]

Lady Jessye Norman = Vocal perfection... 😍💖😍💖😍💖😍💖😍💖😍💖 😍

[@Steve-fn3zc]

Just magnificent. No other words.

[@pilouetmissiou]

Madame Norman se confirme la reine de l'interprétation...elle est présente dans chaque syllabe, chaque note, tout est vivant...accompagnée par une magnifique interprétation orchestrale, un chef très sensible et attentif, et ce qui ne gâte rien un public silencieux entre chaque lied ! Magnifique tous ..

[@RodolfoLimacbx]

*I • **00:05** - "Frühling" (Spring)* *ll • **03:59** - "September"* *III • **09:23** - "Beim Schlafengehen" (When Falling Asleep)* *IV • **15:05** - "Im Abendrot" (At Sunset)*

[@karlford616]

This is sheer perfection

[@LohengrinTh]

what a Miracle of Nature this woman was

[@xavieralberto1176]

What, no standing ovation? Were these people glued to their seats? Incredible.

[@jimp4170]

Well, they are Swiss, after all.

[@rocco7131]

Absolutely perfect. What a master class my Good, sublime.

[@belkismartin7019]

!!!!Que chorro de voz!!! puede hacer lo que quiera, me da gusto oírla no me cansa maravillosa. Buenas noches. Feliz descanso 🌿

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Magnifica interpretación de ...Cuatro ultimas canciones de Strauss.

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Bellísimas cuatro ultimas canciones, de Strauss.....Jessye Norman, sublime..

[@shylockje1949]

Liebe Frau Norman, requiescat in pace, ruhe in frieden......

[@kjb8321]

7:50 The sheer tone control displayed, the subtle introduction of the strings, the warmth of the French horn...sheer bliss. Easily the best version of Vier Letzte Lieder that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to

[@battistafrancesco5681]

Sono profondamente commosso dopo questo ascolto. Jessye Norman è sublime, straordinaria, possente, giunonica; aiutatemi a trovare aggettivi per favore.

[@paulfreeman4900]

I am not given to exaggeration, but in a world of things, the third song must be one of the most beautiful things created by human kind, especially if it is sung by Norman. Could do with a bit more space here though

[@richardk8821]

Thanksgiving Eve, 2022. I just brought my mother’s cremains home from the crematorium. She passed on 11/03/22; my father on 07/23/15. Momma and Daddy are now reunited here in their house until the formal internment sometime next year. Settling in with a brandy and remembering their lives tonight. No better musical tribute to them than Miss Norman signing this gorgeous Strauss suite, especially the 3rd movement. Namaste.

[@billiedasarobiondo]

Potrei anche morire....Nirvana assoluto....dopo avere ascoltato codesta meraviglia

[@johannesdenee6007]

Absolutely stunning.

[@alexandraazer1990]

i love the way she sings. Amazing

[@RodolfoLimacbx]

00:00 - "Frühling" (Spring) 03:59 - "September" 09:24 - "Beim Schlafengehen" (When Falling Asleep) 15:03 - "Im Abendrot" (At Sunset)

[@serious7179]

Jessye Norman is an exquisite, otherworldly; perfection! She's ruined me for all other operatic singers.

[@tjmtamas7233]

She was the BEST! LOVE!

[@ethalia3093]

Jessye Norman. A great voice like no other, sonorous, sweet, dramatically imbued with such sensitivity and feeling. I have loved her from the first time I heard her so many years ago. I wondered at her death - will God replace such talent for us to enjoy again? Such a voice constantly reminds us that there is a Glory of God that is evident in the glory he allows men to have. Jessye was crowned in a special rendering of His deposit of glory.