Composer: Béla Bartók, Fritz Büchtger, Gloria Coates, Harald Genzmer, Hans Werner Henze, Paul Hindemith, Witold Lutosławski, Albert Roussel, Dmitri Shostakovich, Alexander von Zemlinsky
Performer: Edith Urbanczyk, Franz Zubal, Dunja Robotty, Else Stock, Karl-Hermann Mrongovius, Kurt Guntner, Walter Nothas, Hermann Gschwendtner, Reinhold Johannes Buhl, Barbara Korn, Oskar Sala, Renate von Rosen, Hilde Findeisen, Jürgen von Oppen, Sylvia Reichardt, Kammerensemble der Fachakademie für Musik des Richard-Strauss-Konservatoriums München
Conductor: Jaroslav Opěla
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Neos
Catalogue: NEOS12219-20
Release: 2022
Size: 644 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
CD 01
Hindemith: 8 Lieder, Op. 18 (Excerpts)
01. No. 8, Trompeten
02. No. 3, Traum
03. No. 4, Auf der Treppe sitzen meine Öhrchen
Büchtger: Vor der Tür (Excerpts)
04. No. 5, Der Vogel Unheil
05. No. 12, Das Meer nicht mehr
06. No. 13, Ein Paar Vögel noch immer
07. No. 10, Ohne Tod
08. No. 21, Auferstehung
Lutosławski: Songs
09. No. 1, Das Meer
10. No. 2, Der Wind
11. No. 3, Winter
12. No. 4, Ritter
13. No. 5, Kirchenglocken
Shostakovich: 7 Songs on Poems by Alexander Blok, Op. 127
14. No. 1, Das Lied Ophelias
15. No. 2, Gamajun, der prophetische Vogel
16. No. 3, Wir waren beisammen
17. No. 4, Es schläft die Stadt
18. No. 5, Der Sturm
19. No. 6, Geheime Zeichen
20. No. 7, Die Musik
21. Veerhoff: Cantos, Op. 19
Coates: Kriegstimmen der Frauen
22. No. 1, Junge Witwe
23. No. 2, Rezitativ
24. No. 3, Rezitativ
25. No. 4, All these dyings
CD 02
Bartók: Dorfszenen, Sz. 78
01. No. 1, Heuernte
02. No. 2, Bei der Braut
03. No. 3, Hochzeit
04. No. 4, Wiegenlied
05. No. 5, Burschentanz
06. Genzmer: Kantate
Roussel: 2 Poèmes de Ronsard, Op. 26
07. No. 1, Rossignol, mon mignon
Henze: Ariosi
08. No. 1, Qual rugiada
09. No. 2, Compianto
10. No. 3, Maraviglioso
11. No. 4, Estro
12. No. 5, Deh, vieni, morte soave
Goodman: 3 Ornamente
13. No. 1,
14. No. 2,
15. No. 3,
Zemlinsky: Gesänge für Singstimme und Klavier, Book 1, Op. 5 (Excerpts)
16. No. 2, Hütet euch!
17. No. 4, O Sterne, goldene Sterne
18. No. 3, O Blätter, dürre Blätter
19. No. 1, Schlaf nur ein
On 4 September 2022, Edith Urbanczyk celebrated her 90th birthday: the occasion upon which to dedicate this resounding commemorative documentary to her.
On 20 January 1977, Dr Paul Ganzer wrote in the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper: “The well-known Munich soprano, a master of the clearest diction, who commands the most difficult intervals with an absolute ear and sound technique, is a consummate interpreter of contemporary Lied singing.” In 1999, Dr Hartmut Luck called her the “Grande Dame of New Music” in the accompanying booklet to her CD featuring recordings from Arnold Schonberg’s Pierrot lunaire.
Edith Urbanczyk was born in 1932 in Breslau (Poland) but raised in Munich (Germany). She first studied violin at the State University of Music in Munich in Prof Karl Freund’s master class. Upon completion of her Master’s diploma, she went to Vienna to successfully complete additional vocal studies as an opera singer with Prof Julius Patzak. This was followed by several years of engagements as a lyric soprano at various theatres, including Bonn and Giessen.
With perfect pitch and her instrumental vocal approach, influenced by her violin studies, she was virtually predestined to masterfully perform often very demanding contemporary music faithfully and musically. She sang numerous world premieres of works by Hans Zender, Gunter Bialas, Harald Genzmer, Wilhelm Killmayer, Alfred Goodman, Herbert Baumann, Walter Steffens, Fritz Buchtger and Robert M. Helmschrott.