About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

In her prime -- roughly from the late '60s through the late '80s -- there were few mezzo-sopranos who could touch Brigitte Fassbaender for richness of tone, insightfulness of phrasing, and intelligence of interpretation. But by the time this recording was made in 1993, Fassbaender wasn't what she used to be. The richness of her tone had become a bit rough at the edges, the insightfulness of her phrasing had become a tad eccentric for some roles, and while her intelligence of her interpretations had only grown deeper with maturity, she seemed determined to push them to the edge of idiosyncrasy. But, since this particular disc is devoted to music by Kurt Weill, these are not flaws but advantages because, as it turned out, the composer who's favorite singer was the bloody minded but mono-tonal Lotte Lenya proved the perfect composer for Fassbaender at that stage of her career.

In these performances of Weill's "Die Sieben Todesünden," plus six additional solo songs accompanied by Cord Garben either playing the piano or leading the Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR, Fassbaender is wholly in her element. It's hard to say which of the seven sins suits her best. Her lethargy in "Sloth" is deadly, her hunger in "Gluttony" is ravenous, and her sexuality in "Lust" would scare off the hardiest party animal. While her solo songs are perhaps less successful -- Fassbaender does not quite have the smoothness of tone necessary for "Complainte de la Seine" or the poise to put across "Wie lange noch?" -- her obvious enthusiasm goes a long way in compensation. Whether as a conductor in the "Todesünden" or as a pianist in the songs, Garben is a highly considerate accompanist who follows Fassbaender wherever she may lead. Harmonia Mundi's sound is perhaps a shade too intimate for some tastes, but it fits Fassbaender and her repertoire like a glove. James Leonard, All Music Guide

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