Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - The Very Best of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (2011)

As an entry in the "greatest hits" parade, this release faces a tough challenge; the sheer depth of Fischer-Dieskau's recorded catalog, and the percentage of it that is of outstanding quality, is far too large to represent on a two-disc compilation. It can only hope to whet a few appetites for more of his singing, and when viewed in that light this is an excellent album. Its excellence hangs primarily on the first disc, which contains 15 Schubert Lieder and a handful of songs each by Brahms, Wolf, and Richard Strauss. Romantic lieder were Fischer-Dieskau's bread and butter, and the music in which he shined most brightly. EMI has done an excellent job selecting performances that showcase Fischer-Dieskau's unique blend of lyricism, intelligence, and soulful exploration of poetry to their fullest; only the somewhat unkempt Brahms selections are outdone by other of his recorded performances. Schubert's Das Lied im Grünen is the one offbeat selection amongst the evergreens, and it is a gem. The second disc, which contains arias by Bach, Handel, Verdi, and Wagner, is less satisfying. Certainly a retrospective of Fischer-Dieskau's career should include some oratorio and operatic recordings, but the Verdi and Wagner in particular cast an unflattering light, asking him to abandon lyricism in favor of bluster, and leaving him sounding outmatched. It is hard to justify their inclusion over, for instance, his outstanding recordings of the Mahler song cycles with orchestra, or excerpts from Ein deutches Requiem of Brahms. The Bach and Handel, which do not demand the same weight vocally, are more successful, though still less convincing than they might be. The bottom line is that, in the world of Lieder, Fischer-Dieskau was a singular presence -- a standard-setting performer. While a respected and succesful presence on the operatic stage, he never achieved the same artistic results in that arena. Bring on the songs. ~ Allen Schrott