DVD review:Christa Ludwig "Die Winterreise" and Lieder Recital Birthday Edition

This DVD set, released by Arthaus Musik in 2008, is a special edition in celebration of Christa Ludwig's 80th birthday. As the world renowned mezzo-soprano, Christa Ludwig has played numerous leading roles in major productions of European and American opera scenes since her debut in as Orlovsky at Frankfurt in 1946. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with and been favored by such world class conductors such as Klemperer, Levine, Solti, Bohm, karajan, and Bernstein.

Two DVDs are included in this birthday edition, both from private lieder recitals dating back to 1994, accompanied by pianist Charles Spencer. The first program features Schubert's song cycle "Winterreise", a work intended for tenor and piano, at the same time a portray of a man's lonely journey in the dark winter after he discovered his beloved fell in love with someone else.

A lieder cycle used to be considered not appropriate for female singers, Ludwig was the second female singer, after Lotte Lehmann, to give a concert hall performance of Winterreise in 1994. Back in 1986, DG released a new recording of the "Winterreise" performed by Christa Ludwig with piano accompaniment by James Levine. As the first female singer's recording of "Winterreise" to be released by a major label at that time, Ludwig's performance was reviewed as made one aware of "advantages accruing to a female interpreter".

Twenty-two years later, the current DVD release still includes in the programme notes an interview with Ludwig on her justification of performing the song cycle. "I still maintain that this is the winter's journey of a soul and not that of a man or a woman", said Christa in the interview.

Originally written for higher register, as a custom for mezzo, the songs were transposed to fit the natural vocal range of Ludwig, giving the full display of her mature and warm voice. It also turns out that her lower and powerful voice does a even better job depicting the gloomy darkness of the winter as compared to a tenor voice.

The story of "Die Winterreise" is less narrative than is a collection of emotion, from desperate to loneliness, solitude to fear, and courage to hope, which Ludwig portrayed by her changing voice as well as her moderate use of body language and facial expression. Mr. Spencer's responsive playing is highly effective in setting the tone for the music, ranging from "Frozen Tears" and "Spring Dreams"

to the vivid imitation of the sorrow hurdy-gurdy in "Der Leiermann".

The second program, "Lieder Recital" announces its lighter mood by setting the backdrop less dark and lighting brighter. The repertoire of this recital, featuring lieder by Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf, Gustav Mahler, Leonard Bernstein, and Richard Strauss, is designed as a contrast to the darkness of the "Winterreise". Besides the most well known works of Schubert such as "Die Forelle" (the Trout) and "Der Tod und das Madchen" (The Death and the Maiden), there are lighted-hearted works especially toward the second half, including Bernstein's "I Hate Music--A Cycle of Five Kid Songs", and Wolf's "The Gardener" and "How far already".

The recital reached its most humorous and delightful moment when Ludwig performs Bernstein's celebrated "I Hate Music" song cycle, the only non-German song cycle in the entire program. Both performers gave a heart warming portrait of the childish character.

Also included in the DVD set is a selection of Master Classes with Christa Ludwig on the stage of Vienna’s Volkstheater in 1999.