Renée Fleming - Strauss Heroines (1999)

This glorious CD is an instant classic. Renée Fleming’s singing is for the ages. Her tone is rich, full, and beautiful, and her voice soars through Richard Strauss’s vocal lines as if he composed them specifically for her. Her soft singing is as effective as her forte singing, and the tonal quality never varies from its stunning center. What’s more, Fleming infuses the text with real humanity: her Marschallin is as knowing as Schwarzkopf’s but without the interpretive exaggeration; her Arabella is a girl on the verge of womanhood who is certain that she will know when the right man comes along; and her Capriccio Countess is thoughtful and serious, flattered but realistic. In fact I’ve never known this final scene to make such sense. Fleming is abetted by the wonderful Octavian of Susan Graham, also the owner of a rich, handsome tone and keen musical intelligence, and by the lovely Barbara Bonney. Here are three of the most sympathetic portrayals ever recorded. Christoph Eschenbach knows how superb his singers are and allows them, especially in the Rosenkavalier trio, to allow the melodies to emerge ever so slowly. Only singers in their prime could handle such slow tempos without losing any tension. Needless to say, the Vienna Philharmonic’s playing is luxury itself. This is a brilliant disc.