Beethoven, Verdi, Wagner, & Weber: Operatic Arias / Brouwenstijn

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• Album Summary
• Notes & Reviews
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• Works Details

Audio Samples

Album Summary

Performer

• Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)

Conductors

• Moralt, Rudolf
• Otterloo, Willem Van

Ensemble

• 

Composers

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
• Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
• Carl Maria von Weber (1786 - 1826)
• Richard Wagner (Classical) (1813 - 1883)

Notes & Reviews:

The Dutch soprano Gré Brouwenstijn has long been held in the highest esteem within her own country for the fearless vibrancy of her approach to the great hochdramatisch soprano roles, without compromising her standards and ideals of vocal beauty. Brouwenstijn made precious few recordings - most of what is left derives from private tapes or radio archives. This compilation of 2 studio sessions (1954, 1956) catches her in her vocal prime.

American Record Guide
The Dutch soprano Gre Brouwenstein (1915 - 99) was one of those singers whom audiences and record collectors truly seemed to love. I hope Newton's reissue of an old Philips recital will win her some new fans. She seemed personally involved in everything she did, even Beethoven's strange excursion into Italian opera aria - this anonymous protagonist might well be a character one can sympathize with. She was perhaps best known for her lyric Wagner roles (though she recorded only Sieglinde). The arias here allow her to return repeatedly to the warmest, loveliest part of her voice, and the Tannhauser and Lohengrin excerpts are about as beautiful as you'll ever hear.

MusicWeb International
An elegant and striking woman of an unorthodox beauty often compared to that of Ingrid Bergman, she evidently made quite an impact onstage. On record, certain vocal flaws are more in evidence. Her forays into Verdi evince a lack of Italianate sensuousness and warmth; hence her Elisabetta and two Leonoras sound almost boyishly plaintive and disembodied in tone, lacking the heroic steadiness and refulgence of voice which mark out the greatest Verdian sopranos. Ah, perfido has never struck me as one of Beethoven's more inspired compositions and it is over-long at over thirteen minutes, but Brouwenstijn's cooler, more Germanic temperament and vocal lay-out suit both this and the Weber aria better.

The four arias from three Wagner operas are best of all; the steely quality and sense of ecstasy engendered by the flicker in her vibrato lend them the same febrile intensity she brought to her Sieglinde in the complete recording but there is more than a suspicion of uncertain intonation in the quieter, slower sections of "Dich, teure Halle". Her concluding top B, however, is thrilling. The conducting of Rudolf Moralt - who was in charge of the first, excellent and complete post-war recording of the "Ring" in 1949 - is sprung and alert; the mono sound acceptable and undistorted. I do not think that this is a disc I shall return to often but Brouwenstjin fans who have more of a taste for her voice will want this new issue from Newton, as she did not make that many recordings.

ClassicalCDReview.com
... It's a remarkable performance (with Jon Vickers, Birgit Nilsson and George London) last issued on London 430 391, very much worth searching for. This Newton Classics issue contains recordings made 1952 - 1954 when Brouwenstijn was in her prime in some of her greatest roles.

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Works Details

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Ah, Perfido!, Op. 65

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Willem Otterloo
• Running Time: 13 min. 25 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1796

Weber, Carl Maria von : Der Freischütz :: Wie nahte mir der Schlummer... Leise, leise, fromme Weise

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Willem Otterloo
• Running Time: 8 min. 3 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1817-1821

Wagner, Richard : Tannhäuser :: Dich, teure Halle, grüá' ich wieder

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Rudolf Moralt
• Running Time: 5 min. 8 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1843-1865

Wagner, Richard : Tannhäuser :: Allmächt'ge Jungfrau, hör mein Flehen!

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Rudolf Moralt
• Running Time: 5 min. 38 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1843-1865

Wagner, Richard : Lohengrin :: Einsam in trüben Tagen

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Rudolf Moralt
• Running Time: 4 min. 55 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1848

Wagner, Richard : The Flying Dutchman :: Johohoe! Traft ihr das Schiff im Meere an

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Rudolf Moralt
• Notes: Composition written: 1841.
• Running Time: 7 min. 26 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1841

Verdi, Giuseppe : Don Carlo :: Tu che le vanità

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Rudolf Moralt
• Notes: Composition written: 1884.
• Running Time: 9 min. 59 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1884

Verdi, Giuseppe : Il trovatore :: Timor di me... D'amor sull'ali rosee

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Rudolf Moralt
• Running Time: 4 min. 23 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1853

Verdi, Giuseppe : La forza del destino :: Son giunta! Grazie, o Dio!

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Rudolf Moralt
• Running Time: 5 min. 41 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1862

Verdi, Giuseppe : La forza del destino :: Pace, pace, mio Dio!

• Performer: Gré Brouwenstijn (Soprano)
• Conductor: Rudolf Moralt
• Running Time: 5 min. 23 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1862