Title: Technically superior but not the best interpretation
Product review: I'm the last person to criticize the amazing Te Kanawa, whose technical prowess is impressive here as elsewhere, but I disagree with those who consider her rendition of Strauss' Four Last Songs the best. Gundula Janowitz takes that honor. Although she's not as technically proficient as Te Kanawa, her singing of Four Last Songs with Karajan's orchestra is the high mark for this work. Janowitz is not a showy singer, which means that Americans need to slow down to hear her sublime voice. Te Kanawa's interpretation also suffers from a tempo that is just a tad too fast--which makes her sound a bit hysterical in some of the ascending passages. But this is a four-star recording, in part because Te Kanawa's singing of Strauss' other orchestral songs included on this disc is swoon-inducing. I especially recommend her "Befreit".
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