Episode 445. Simply Radiant: Edith Mathis In Memoriam
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Today a belated memorial tribute to the beloved Swiss soprano Edith Mathis, who died in Salzburg thirteen months ago, two days before her 87th birthday. One of the most highly regarded lyric sopranos of the 1960s and 1970s, Mathis began her career in the late fifties, retiring more than 40 years later in 2001. In between she, armed with a radiant, technically secure voice allied with an understated yet powerful musicianship, set the standard for performance of Baroque music, Mozart, and Lieder, in particular. She was the quintessential German soubrette, and as such the best of her generation in roles such as Ännchen in Der Freischütz and Marzelline in Fidelio. Because of her lack of pretention and mannerism, she might sometimes be somewhat undervalued, but her artistic achievement, especially considered as a whole, is equal to any comparable singer of the last century. I have scoured my extensive Mathis collection, as well as the corners of the internet, to bring you as full a musical portrait of Edith Mathis as possible, covering nearly the entirety of her career, and including works by several of her Swiss compatriot composers.
RECORDINGS HEARD IN THIS EPISODE
All tracks feature Edith Mathis, soprano
Hermann Suter, Francis of Assisi: Laudato sia, mio Signore, per sora luna e le stelle (Le Laudi di San Francesco d’Assisi). Hans Münch, Orchester der Basler Orchester-Gesellschaft, Basler Gesangsverein [1968]
George Frideric Handel, Barthold Heinrich Brockes: Süße Stille, sanfte Quelle, HWV 205 (Neun deutsche Arien). Helmut Hucke, Walter Thoene, Gerhard Naumann, Eugen Müller-Dombois [1962]
Traditional German, arr. Johannes Brahms: Da unten im Tale. Karl Engel [1975]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Domine Deus (Great Mass in c minor, K. 427). Helen [Erwin] Donath, Wolfgang Gönnenwein, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester [1963]
Carl Maria von Weber, Friedrich Kind [after Johann August Apel, Friedrich Laun]: Kommt ein schlanker Bursch gegangen (Der Freischütz). Leopold Ludwig, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg [1968 film soundtrack]
Frank Martin: Ave Maria [Gegrüßet seist du] (Maria Triptychon). Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Jean Fournet, Schweizerisches Festspielorchester [live Luzern 22.VIII.84]
Johann Sebastian Bach: Ruhig und in sich zufrieden (Ich bin in mir vergnügt, BWV 204). Hans-Werner Wätzig, Manfred Baier, Peter Schreier, Kammerorchester Berlin [1976]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Pietro Metastasio, revised Giambattista Varesco: Aer tranquillo (Il re pastore). Leopold Hager, Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg [1973]
Alexander Zemlinsky, Leo Feld [after Gottfried Keller]: Wenn alle bitten… “Lehn’ deine Wang’ an meine Wang’” (Kleider machen Leute). Hermann Winkler, Wicus Slabbert, Rudolf A. Hartmann, Hans Franzen, Stefania Kaluza, Peter Keller, Jacob Will, Ralf Weikert, Orchester und Chor der Oper Zürich [live Zürich 29.VI.1990]
Robert Schumann, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Gretchen vor dem Bild der Mater Dolorosa [Ach, neige, du Schmerzensreiche] (Szenen aus Goethes Faust, WoO 3). Pierre Boulez, BBC Symphony Orchestra [live London 07.III.1973]
Carl Loewe, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Szene aus “Faust” [Ach, neige, du Schmerzensreiche], Op. 9 H. III/2. Cord Garben [1995]
Claude Debussy, Paul Verlaine: Chevaux de bois (Ariettes oubliées, L. 63/4). Norman Shetler [live Prague 31.V.1980]
Hugo Wolf, traditional Italian text translated and arranged by Paul Heyse: Wer rief dich denn?; Du denkst mit einem Fädchen mich zu fangen; Wenn du, mein Liebster, steigst zum Himmel auf (Italienisches Liederbuch). Karl Engel [1977]
Johannes Brahms, Anonymous Spanish text, translated and arranged Paul Heyse: Spanisches Lied [In dem Schatten meiner Locken], Op. 6/1. Gérard Wyss [1994]
Carl Maria von Weber, Friedrich Kind [after Johann August Apel, Friedrich Laun]: Doch wie? Täuscht mich nicht mein Ohr?… All meine Pulse schlagen und das Herz wallt ungestüm (Der Freischütz). Peter Schneider, Orquestra del Gran Teatro del Liceo [live Barcelona 16.II.1988]
Othmar Schoeck, Armin Rüeger [after Honoré de Balzac]: Wie widerwärtig dies der Zufall fügt (Massimilla Doni). Gerd Albrecht, Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester [1986]
Robert Schumann, Heinrich Heine: Was will die einsame Träne? (Myrthen, Op. 25/21). Karl Engel [live Luzern 03.IX.1975]
