Anne Sofie von Otter's Dreamy Wesendonck Lieder

Here is something I haven't seen in a while: ASvO received a lengthy ovation at the end of her performance of Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. That ovation wasn’t unusual—the wonderful surprise was her encore of the fifth song: Träume (Dreams). It was even better than the first time—a bit slower and dreamier. 

We know I am an unabashed ASvO fanboy, but even cooler heads would agree that ASvO does not have many equals in Lieder interpretation. In the first song of the five songs, she sounded a little more vibrato-y than I expected, but she relaxed into the performance. I love the conviction with which ASvO puts herself into the music she is singing; and Marc Minkowski is a very sensitive accompanist. You can tell that he and ASvO enjoy working together. 

The orchestra played some other stuff, but ASvO's performance is clearly the reason to watch this concert at medici.tv. In fact, the video below is cued up so you can start right at the beginning of the Wesendoncks. Be patient through the ovations and wait for it (or carefully fast forward)—the payoff is ASvO’s dreamy encore of Träume.

update 10/23/2013 –  While medici.tv is no longer sharing this concert, you can find these same Wesendoncks here. 

Minkowski, von Otter: Wagner, Beethoven on medici.tv.