Rita Streich sings Mozart

Many were the occasions on which Mozart expressed his enthusiastic delight for a singer's achievements. There were three qualities that he looked for in particular: "gusto, metodo, espressione". While a good voice was a sine qua non, a secure and effortless technique and the expres¬sive range required by the work being sung were also essential. These criteria are as important today as they were for Mozart. Rita Streich was one of the singers who maintained the tradition of that ideal in the last century. Born in Barnaul near Novosibirsk in 1920, she studied in Berlin with some of the leading singers of the time: Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender, Maria Ivogün and Erna Berger. A two-year engagement at the Städtische Oper in Berlin saw her singing Zerbinetta, the Queen of the Night and Constanze, but in 1953 she joined the Vienna State Opera and there she was to remain until the end of her stage career in 1972. Rita Streich earned an international reputation in the 1950s for the brilliant performances she gave in various European festivals. But as well as her frequent appearances in the opera house and concert-hall, Rita Streich was summoned into the recording studio at an early date in her career. Recording techniques were steadily evolving and making it possible at last to capture substantial operatic excerpts on disc, opening up an increasingly attractive field for singers. A well-schooled and developed voice, technical virtuosity and a wide and varied expressive range earned her critical ac¬claim and the public's applause throughout the three decades of her performing career. The recordings made during those years enable us today to relive the experiences that so delighted the original hearers.

1. Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K 384: Durch Zärtlichkeit by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Ferenc Fricsay
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1782; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 05/1954
Venue: Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin
Length: 3 Minutes 9 Secs.
Language: German

2. Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K 384: Welche Wonne, welche Lust by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Ferenc Fricsay
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1782; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 05/1954
Venue: Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin
Length: 3 Minutes 32 Secs.
Language: German

3. Die Zauberflöte, K 620: O zittre nicht…Zum Leiden bin ich by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Ferenc Fricsay
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1791; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 06/1955
Venue: Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin
Length: 4 Minutes 53 Secs.
Language: German

4. Die Zauberflöte, K 620: Der Hölle Rache by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Ferenc Fricsay
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1791; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 06/1955
Venue: Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin
Length: 3 Minutes 3 Secs.
Language: German

5. Il rè pastore, K 208: Aer tranquillo e dì sereni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Bernhard Paumgartner
Orchestra/Ensemble: Salzburg Mozarteum Camerata Academica
Period: Classical
Written: 1775; Salzburg, Austria
Date of Recording: 02/1961
Venue: Festspielhaus, Salzburg, Austria
Length: 7 Minutes 14 Secs.
Language: Italian

6. Alcandro, lo confesso…Non sò, d'onde viene, K 294 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Bernhard Paumgartner
Orchestra/Ensemble: Salzburg Mozarteum Camerata Academica
Period: Classical
Written: 1778; Mannheim, Germany
Date of Recording: 02/1961
Venue: Festspielhaus, Salzburg, Austria
Length: 8 Minutes 39 Secs.
Language: Italian

7. Ah, se in ciel, benigne stelle, K 538 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1788; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 09/1958
Venue: Herkulessaal, Residenz, Munich
Length: 7 Minutes 45 Secs.
Language: Italian

8. Vado, ma dove?, K 583 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1789; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 09/1958
Venue: Herkulessaal, Residenz, Munich
Length: 4 Minutes 1 Secs.
Language: Italian

9. Popoli di Tessaglia…Io non chiedo, K 316 (300b) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1778; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 09/1958
Venue: Herkulessaal, Residenz, Munich
Length: 11 Minutes 8 Secs.
Language: Italian

10. Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio, K 418 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1783; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 09/1958
Venue: Herkulessaal, Residenz, Munich
Length: 6 Minutes 28 Secs.
Language: Italian

11. No, che non sei capace, K 419 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1783; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 09/1958
Venue: Herkulessaal, Residenz, Munich
Length: 4 Minutes 32 Secs.
Language: Italian

12. Mia speranza adorata…Ah, non sai qual pena, K 416 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1783; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 09/1958
Venue: Herkulessaal, Residenz, Munich
Length: 8 Minutes 41 Secs.
Language: Italian

13. Nehmt meinen Dank, ihr holden Gönner, K 383 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Rita Streich (Soprano)
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1782; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 09/1958
Venue: Herkulessaal, Residenz, Munich
Length: 3 Minutes 46 Secs.
Language: German

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