Nana Mouskouri - Schubert: Schwanengesang D957 №4 (Ständchen/Serenade) (1968)

Text: Ludwig Rellstab
Setting: Franz Schubert
Leise flehen meine Lieder
Durch die Nacht zu dir;
In den stillen Hain hernieder,
Liebchen, komm zu mir!
Flüsternd schlanke Wipfel rauschen
In des Mondes Licht;
Des Verräters feindlich Lauschen
Fürchte, Holde, nicht.
Hörst die Nachtigallen schlagen?
Ach! sie flehen dich,
Mit der Töne süßen Klagen
Flehen sie für mich.
Sie verstehn des Busens Sehnen,
Kennen Liebesschmerz,
Rühren mit den Silbertönen
Jedes weiche Herz.
Laß auch dir die Brust bewegen,
Liebchen, höre mich!
Bebend harr' ich dir entgegen!
Komm, beglücke mich!
Some translations:
www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_te...

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

Sublime. Our great Nana will be 90 in October. A life well lived and full of melody & hope. 🤍

[@bauchmann9971]

Besser als so mancher klassische Sänger. Man versteht jedes Wort-sollte das nicht immer so sein?!

[@margritwypych7348]

❤Eine, Stimme, die Herz und die Seele beglueckt, einfach wunderbar, liebe NANA❤

[@Marcus-xs3ee]

Even her speaking voice is very beautiful.

[@leobrugger7691]

Oooh du wunder volle musik aus deinem Munde. Es ist soo ein Seelenheil. Danke ich schicke dir tausend Rosen.

[@HBM-ck5bo]

What an amazing performance!! ❤❤❤

[@frumamohrer9863]

Nana trained classically and this stayed with her voice throughout but her agents encouraged a career in more popular singing. Nana had a voice like a bell, like a nightingale, one of the very best artists from Greece. Listen to her Greek performances. Unparalleled. Those were the days!

[@clarab6092]

She certainly doesn't sound as if she trained classically. Her vocal chords don't close (you hear the air streaming through constantly). This happens because her voice is not supported properly and her larynx is not in a lowered position, both of which contribute to her voice sounding so high and thin or, as you put it, "like a bell". It also means there's not much resonance and not much projection. She has a beautiful voice, she's also musical and she has a lovely, sweet, innocent stage presence, but the classical training she received was either not very long or not very good because, in all honesty, she sounds like the singing pupils I know who just started out and have sung classically for ~1 year. All the things I named (high larynx, virtually no support, vocal folds not closing) are typical beginner problems OR speak of improper technique that won't carry you through an entire operatic career. This rendition of the "Ständchen" is, technically speaking, not good and can't even be compared to voice students still in the conservatory. Her agents probably realized that. If she had continued to train to become a classical singer, she would've been one of many other light sopranos whose voices and spirit get burned by conductors and an overly demanding career.

[@t24hy44]

She is singing with one functional vocal cord.

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

​@@clarab6092She had a natural condition which caused a thickening of one of her vocal chords, not that she only had one, as the popular understanding of it goes. Yet, despite this impediment she became one of the best selling female artistes of all time, even rivalling Madonna in sales, which is quite an achievement for a quiet demure girl from Greece. She knows she is not a classical singer, and reveres the likes of Maria Callas, quite rightly, yet anything she sang from classical repertoire was a nod to her love of that great genre. It's easy to harshly criticise because a voice may lack perfection, but Nana sings from the heart and that touches me more than all the perfect opera stars who appeal less to more simple people. She knows her limitations, yet has made the most of what she has. That means more than having it all and obtaining god-like status in one genre of music. Nana is 90 years young in October, and having met her several times, I wish her well. 🤍 As Frida from ABBA said recently about ABBA Voyage: "There will always be critics." 🧐

[@Irina-ni5zt]

P​@@clarab6092pregatirea ei clasica a fost lunga, 8 ani dar avea o problema medicala

[@robertoamian3447]

Amazing voice

[@cocapereira]

I love Nana's voice!

[@simmo303]

Liszt regarded Schubert as the most lyrical of all composers. A terrible shame that there is not more of his music.

[@hellbooks3024]

He wrote 1500 works. Beethoven wrote under 750. Bach wrote under 1200.

[@MaartenPieterBakker]

As a classical singer, I was expecting the worst of this video. Now I must admit: I am pleasantly surprised. She does know how to create the dreamily atmosphere this song is all about. Brava!

[@Pitomba00]

I think só, too. Beautiful!

[@maireadtallon1897]

How beautifully sung by Nana. Schubert would love her. She was always a big fan of mine. More please Nana. Mairead Tallon, Ireland

[@stacyblue1980]

I accidentally clicked on this. Just so happened kind of thing. Absolutely beautiful. Oh my stars😊💓

[@ottogussenbauer8657]

Wundervoll, danke.

[@VilemSteiner]

A wonderful rendition of this wonderful piece by Mr. Schubert.Thank you.❤❤❤

[@mariaaparecidabatistademat4731]

Sempre elegante!! Sua belíssima voz é encantadora 🇧🇷❤

[@shin-i-chikozima]

Her wonderful and beautiful singing voice is a mixture of sorrowful feeling, nostalgia, and sentimentality that comes to my soul

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

She remains incomparable. ❤❤❤

[@Qualityselection]

The best feminine performance of this song that I have heard so far. She manages to sing it softly and sweetly as no other!

[@GerardoJimenez-rt5dc]

She's amazing 🤩

[@sdorr]

How sweet is Nana's voice with Schubert!

[@ian.marais1202]

Aahw. So,so beautiful. The great Nana Mouskouri. The darling of the world Very beautiful rendition of one of Schubert's most beautiful pieces.

[@AmiJurgl]

A hauntingly beautiful rendition of this great classic. Wasn"t she something!

[@shin-i-chikozima]

Her splendid voice , which is clear and outstanding volume , can be heard across the sea to Japan . So all Japanese will be impressed and shed tears From Tokyo of the Land of the Rising Sun 🇯🇵

[@Takoushjanik]

My angelic mother Mary who is in heaven now used to love Schubert's Serenade. How I love this song in honor of my beloved adorable mother Mary the angel in heaven.

[@annemburada6265]

I love this song. (As to heaven,however, I have been taught that the one who decided who will go to heaven, is called Jesus. He decides this if and when HE returns to this planet, on JUDGMENT DAY. So it seems, the dead will have to wait for another couple (of thousands of) years.

[@shin-i-chikozima]

My favorite singer . My heart is quivered by this song and play . Her singing voice is effulgent and ethereal . This great song and excellent performance command the huge admiration .

[@christophergreenleaf9055]

A rare treasure. Our finest popular singers occasionally bring expressivity and a loving sense for beauty to serious repertoire. Mouskouri's heartfelt and - yes! - disciplined approach, though, alas underpinned by wooden, dynamically flat piano playing, is a delight. You don't have to unbend that much to find this high level of music making deeply enjoyable and captivating. So light and supple a voice, coupled with Mouskouri's sure feel for language and musical rhetoric, ennobles all of us lucky enough to come across this. - Crecquillon

[@Bjoernandersen]

I was looking for the name of the pianist and - mercyfully - it does not appear! (She is great though!)

[@user-xo2sk4oh8k]

La mejor

[@agathacabot5833]

Maravillosa voz.

[@solsol7476]

So sweet, like a nightingale recalls partner in the late evening. Its hard to say...just listen.

[@t24hy44]

Ms. Mouskouri's rendition of this is so beautiful, that it flabberghasts me to know that she has only one functioning vocal cord to sing with!!! 😇

[@TheRickie41]

It's very humble, trained, clean and expressive. It is done with love and intelligence. So why compare and judge. Elle a une belle voix, elle fait un travail propre, consciente de ses limites. Humblement consciente, c'est beau. Ça mérite le respect. Selbst bewusst ihrer Grenzen, ist diese Interpretation würdig und schön.

[@EKATERINA_ELLO]

Bravo! Let me share of some wonderful song of Schubert kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ-UaHdneN2tqKs and another one in German kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoLcZGyXbNKfgtE performed by trio of students of Academy of Choir Art in Moscow. If anybody knows the name of second song, write in comments, please

[@phirze]

c'est une de nos plus grandes chanteuses ! c'est magnifique ! merci Nana pour toutes ces années de musique !

[@Garpinator]

Nana Mouskouri is a classically trained soprano. The fact that she is more famous for other types of music doesn't mean she can't sing classical (or more accurately Romantic) Era music.

[@bilstew]

A very nice rendering of this melody by nana.Those who prefer it in a more classical setting are welcome to have it so.This version in my opinion represents a gateway to the delights of classical song.

[@fabiolalee6773]

It really really beautiful!!!

[@michelkemogne9270]

Amazing 💝🌹👌

[@Michaelneiss]

this was a surprise on so many levels

[@gh1zu]

lovely

[@1q1q1q1q2]

Magnifique

[@johantawman]

Schöne Melodien!... wunderbar!... Danke!

[@gijsschubert7901]

Lovely Nana singing a wonderful sweet song of the great Franz Schubert, what do we want more? She sings the transition from minor to major key after 1:19 perfectly!

[@cvaandius739]

Merci Nana avec mon tout coeur toujours!!!

[@JimB2805]

Absolutely lovely. Thanks for posting this.

[@celiapulgar215]

It's nice to hear it in non classical version! She sings it really really well and it sounds much more natural than the classical versions.

[@EKATERINA_ELLO]

Bravo! Let me share of some wonderful song of Schubert kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ-UaHdneN2tqKs and another one in German kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoLcZGyXbNKfgtE performed by trio of students of Academy of Choir Art in Moscow. If anybody knows the name of second song, write in comments, please

[@cristinadelfrancia2680]

wow...so beautiful!

[@anhlyhoang343]

So beautiful ! I love this song so much.

[@rohricwl]

It is too bad that Harry Vassilakis was too cowardly to allow replies to his note. Contrary to his note, Mouskouri was classically trained. I don't know how the music is "supposed" to sound, but I am glad I am not so dead inside that I can't appreciate how beautiful Mouskouri's performance was just because it didn't conform to some objective standard.

[@britneysprsfan1forever415]

Yes beautiful voice and not to mention beautiful woman!!😘

[@daniel3231995]

its nice but im not sure bel canto is appropriate for a lieder and her german diction

[@MaartenPieterBakker]

Well, that is Mouskouri's way of singing, which works very well on this song. Which is, to be honest, more than could be said for her interpretations of 'Una furtiva lagrima' and 'Der Lindenbaum' ;-)

[@argentinafuentes2226]

❤❤

[@CatsAndClassicalMusic]

Wow! I generally don’t like singing that much but I really liked! Very talented!

[@tychaton08]

un gros merci

[@germanquintero10121946]

una preciosidad para recordar

[@zenchan332]

AMAZING MIRACLE

[@kaarlosuotamo3409]

Absolutely lovely

[@mariaaparecidabatistademat4731]

Concordo plenamente com você!!🇧🇷

[@trevorfranks69]

I'll remember my promise. I'll do anything.

[@pedroevandrolopes3195]

O que eu mais gosto nos comentários, é que no Brasil todos nós falamos e lemos inglês perfeitamente. Por isso, não precisa de tradução, todos entendem perfeitamente.

[@paulostroff99]

Simply blew me away.especially for a non noted classical singer.

[@maribdieza4512]

Bellissima meravigliosa !!! !!! Bruselas Bélgica.

[@adolfoestradaserrudo5718]

Abrase el cuerpo aun tibio de mi hijo escuchando este profundo tema para intentar retenerlo en esta vida, cada vez que lo escucho siento que ese momento sera eterno.

[@rositaruizparra8978]

Eterno ese momento porque somos uno con esos seres que tanto amamos. Él esta en ti y tu en él.

[@heinrichtuente9508]

Nana Mouskouri, die zu Herzen gehende Stimme singt in Klavierbegleitung den Schwanengesang D957 Nr.:4 Ständchen/Serenade von Schubert seit 1968

[@jeandeblaize4175]

. IL AURA EXISTÉ pour les contemporains de la seconde moitié du XXe siècle, deux voix sublimes chacune en son domaine, identifiables dès les premières mesures, les yeux fermés : celle de la Callas celle de Mouskouri Et pour l'éternité

[@justinodepaz1750]

Una belleza.

[@cyrusamirmoazami6232]

Au moment d’interprétation de Standchën de Schubert Nana Mouskouri n’avait qu’une trentaine d’années, elle était belle avec une magnifique voix ,aujourd’hui elle n’est qu’une vieille femme de 90 ans, la vie est tellement courte et la beauté, la voix toutes sont tellement éphémère; l’absurdité de la vie ?!

[@mariaaparecidabatistademat4731]

Na vida tudo passa devemos aproveita- la da melhor forma!! Nana Mouskouri hoje aos 89 anos com certeza é diferente com o passar dos tempos, acredito que Nana mouskouri olha para o passado com boas lembranças Uma grande estrela sua voz belíssima e insubstituível!! Hoje ela não faz shows, mas está aí uma quantidade enorme de belas canções!! Nana Mouskouri a rainha da voz!! Uma rainha jamais perde a majestade 🇧🇷

[@Jackzxc321]

Lovely.

[@salvinogomesdasilva7995]

Muito bacana!!!!😢

[@brucewong8250]

棒極了⋯⋯天使之聲⋯⋯

[@NauticalStrings]

Wow.

[@luchogarciacia1935]

ABSOLUTAMENTE MARAVILLOSA!!!!

[@ronaldofranciscosilva5830]

a sensibilidade transforma essa numa das mais belas canções em minha vida.parabéns!!

[@MultiLomito]

una feliz combinacion de musica y sentimientos en una voz deliciosa

[@yvbjcugiiiiiiIIOIHP0]

Wonderful indeed, Nana !...

[@5ithofnov159]

why does classical music touch my inner spirit

[@akaishuichi4320]

Because it's amazing music and it contains meanings and feelings that we can feel 💓

[@akaishuichi4320]

I born in 1995 and I love this classic music

[@lucetina337]

Música atemporal, linda d++++😍

[@argentinafuentes2226]

Siempre escuche la melodia .havia un mptivo din davetlo ❤❤

[@joebidenjr1817]

Mouskouri ia among the best.

[@usmanhar]

Love it !

[@joebidenjr1817]

Beautiful melody.

[@andreaormacheaalfaro6047]

Es una hermosa melodia

[@3133dede]

Αγγελικη φωνη ! ευχαριστω αγαπημενη Νανα Τζενη Maya

[@mozartiikodesu]

Beautiful interpretation. Your singing is really amorous.

[@yvbjcugiiiiiiIIOIHP0]

Bravo Khai !....You're Great !...Nana Moskory is for Me a So Big European Oyster too.

[@JoseLorenzoStormTrance]

Невероятная красота исполнения!!! 👏❤

[@dasein1668]

太好听了

[@herrenschmuck]

sehr gut gesungen

[@humbertopino3411]

Que voz....maravillosa tenia Nana y nada más ni nada menos que cantando la serenata de Schubert

[@MadameAzulDrack3006]

WOW!!! QUE VOZ TAN, PERO TAN HERMOSA!!!!!

[@rubyrm]

EXCELLENT !!!

[@HelenaVozdecka]

Amazing !!!

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

MARAVILLOSA

[@simbasimba9716]

Francisco Ferrer Galiana Concordo! Voz maravilhosa! Presença linda ! Inconfundivel , Nana !

[@flaviarafaella688]

Incrível!

[@aliciapedevilla6943]

Gracias Nana por esa voz angelical. Desde Argentina

[@Jojo93xD]

That voice :)

[@maireadtallon1897]

I love her voice maireaf

[@leobrugger7691]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@coumpanhrene3173]

Merci, merci, merci Sas efcharistô !

[@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301]

Nana Mouskouri's beautiful phrasing is not matched by the rather 'dry' piano playing. Mouskouri does well to cope with such an unmusical accompanist. The version with voice, piano and orchestra is more of a whole. Mouskouri was indeed classically trained but rebelled at the rigidity of it all and branched out on her own, so when she 'comes back' to classical music she sure knows what she is doing. For my money, this is the truest interpretation of this song, in the same way that Mary Hopkin's is the truest interpretation of Schubert's Ave Maria.

[@gh1zu]

So touching