Urlicht is a fairly recent album by Dutch mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn, who has worked with Janet Baker and Jard van Nes.
It's a collection of Mahler songs, most from Des Knaben Wunderhorn and some from the Ruckertlieder.
They are all very well done, and I find that hearing M2's fourth movement song, "Urlicht" done with only the contralto and pianist better calls attention to the meaning and beauty of the words. No, I'd never part with my M2s--it's just refreshing to have voice and piano accentuate the meaning of the words.
Christianne Stotijn has a particularly clear and expressive voice. If you like Mahler songs, you might give this album a try. Amazon has mp3 downloads for most of them, so if you only want to hear "Urlicht" or "Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt" you can pick and choose.
--John H
Topic: JH really enjoyed "Urlicht" (Read 6999 times)