Das Lied Von Der Erde: Walter / Vpo, Ferrier(A)patzak(T)+ruckert Lieder

When the contralto Kathleen Ferrier first sang Gustav Mahler's 'Das Lied von der Erde' with Bruno Walter in 1947, she was in tears towards the end and omitted the final "ewig." When she apologized to Walter, he simply replied: "My dear Miss Ferrier, if we were all such artists as you, we would all have been in tears." Coming from Walter, who was not only one of the greatest conductors of all time but also Mahler's close friend and faithful interpreter, this was highest of praise. And it was accurate. Ferrier was one of those rare individuals endowed with both a gorgeous voice and intelligent, deeply felt musicianship.
Hearing her sing on this present recording, which is without question one of the greatest recordings ever made, one, like Ferrier, cannot help from being moved to tears. She was only months away from her untimely death to cancer, which robbed the world of an incomparable artist at the height of her powers. As Gramophone observed, she "pours forth glorious tone...and makes the 'Farewell' [movement] almost intolerably moving."