The German soprano Christine Karg is one of my favorite singers. In her performances it is totally clear to me that she has carefully studied the poet’s words before ever attempting to sing the music.
For me, Ms. Karg is a natural voice for the Lieder by Richard Strauss. In most cases he composed these songs for his wife, Pauline.
Here is Ms. Karg, and please observe that she actually acts out what she’s singing for us. At the beginning you will hear “Staendchen”, and then later you can read the English translation when she explains further:
