Today is Richard Strauss's 147th birthday — or would have been. I think this calls for a small video celebration. Here are ten of my favourite Strauss moments. Trying to limit myself to one clip per opera, too, because frankly I could fill a list twice as long with just Rosenkavalier and Arabella excerpts.
"Allerseelen"
Audio only. I did kind of want a video, but it's pretty hard to go past Elly Ameling in any format. This is pretty much my favourite Strauss song.
Final duet from Rosenkavalier.
I'm picking this instead of the Presentation of the Rose. I think. Barbara Bonney is up there with Lucia Popp in the competition for Cutest Sophie Ever. And Felicity Lott's "Ja, ja" has to be one of the best.
"Und du wirst mein Gebieter sein" from Arabella.
Had to have some Lucia in here. And this duet was where I had my Arabella epiphany, the first time I saw it live. Still one of the most exceptionally beautiful moments I've ever witnessed on stage. Arabella is my (not so) secret favourite Strauss opera, even though it should be Salome or Elektra or Rosenkavalier.
"Grossmächtige Prinzessin" from Ariadne auf Naxos.
Natalie, clearly.
Part I:
Part II:
"Ständchen"
Yes, I know all the stories. No, they don't stop me thinking Kathleen Battle has one of the prettiest voices ever, and besides, she (along with Barbara Bonney) introduced me to Strauss Lieder.
"Falke, mein Falke" from Die Frau ohne Schatten
Not entirely sure I should count this as a favourite, since it was only just pointed out to me by the Tenor In My Life (who has also sung it) but I figured I needed a token male-voice moment in here, and it's fairly extraordinary. Again, audio only.
"Ich kann nicht sitzen" from Elektra.
Deborah Voigt as Chrysothemis, way back in 1993, with a rather frightening Marilyn Zschau as Elektra.
Presentation of the Rose, from Rosenkavalier.
OK, so I changed my mind. Of course I did. Plus, Joyce. And also Diana. And Joyce's great story — which I remember reading on her blog at the time — about where her outfit came from.
"Hab mir's gelobt" from, yes, Rosenkavalier
So sue me. I said one per opera but it's Rosenkav. You can't only pick one. And you can't not pick the trio. If only the whole of Opera Australia's production were floating about YouTube already, I'd post that version, since it shattered me in person eight times over. But Nina, Vesselina and Malin are not exactly a shabby lineup; and I remember coming home one Sunday afternoon just in time to catch this much of this production, getting soppy and tearful immediately, and wishing I'd seen the whole thing.
"Im Abendrot"
How else could I finish such a list?
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