Quotes by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

About Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau:

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, described as "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century" and "the most influential singer of the 20th Century". Fischer-Dieskau was ranked the second greatest singer of the century (after Jussi Björling) by Classic CD (United Kingdom) "Top Singers of the Century" Critics' Poll (June 1999).
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Particularly at around the age of 70 you reach a stage where you have to be very careful. If, at that point, you abandon the work you have been doing, there is a good chance that you will just collapse and drift.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Rather, I believe that it is very good, if, with the aid of his songs, we can be reminded, among other things, of the social conditions under which Schubert had to work.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

You can't do opera when already from the 10th row you can only see little dolls on the stage. In such an enormous space you can't put much faith in the personal presence of the individual singer, which is reflected in facial expressions, among other ...

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

The future? Like unwritten books and unborn children, you don't talk about it.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Toward the end of his life, one can sense that he was no longer thinking his way into the minds of others, causing them to speak on his behalf, but that he was now speaking for himself.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

In fact, the element of play has an important role in my life, and I think that should be the case in the life of every artist. Our life is occupied with playing, whether we play an instrument or a role.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Admittedly, it is really our duty, as artists, to hold up a mirror to our own era; but, on the other hand, these works have lives of their own, and they're still alive today.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

But, on the other hand, if Schubert were alive today, he would find even richer fields to plow.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

The composition of a single melody is born out of a bit of text, perhaps the first line, but it can also be the entire strophe; it can even be the poem's overall form.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Many, many composers have only found their way to a certain form, through familiarizing themselves with texts.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Brahms believed that there was no need to publish absolutely everything that Schubert ever wrote.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Which is why, in my lieder concerts, I always strove, when possible, to sing only the works of a single composer, so that the audience could be gradually drawn into a particular creative genius' way of thinking, and could follow him.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

If you only do little clusters - three or four songs by one, and another, and then yet another - you lose the opportunity to think your way into the composer's mind, since, after all, most of these pieces are quite brief.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

It's not all that different with the orchestra. There are orchestras that seem to be encased in dough, so that first you have to break through the normal routine, and clear out the openings.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

With creative people, truly new horizons open up.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

What concerns me, is the general social tendency to enforce a level, above which nothing rises and stands out.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Anyone who draws attention to himself as an individual, is viewed with suspicion. We acquired this tendency, of course, from America, and we must resist it: levelling, and imitation of what others are already doing.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

I came together with younger musicians and tried to pass on my own experiences. In the process, I always tried to maintain my curiosity and spontaneity.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

When you go out onto the stage, all the preparation has to be forced into your subconscious. For the moment of the performance, we all have to return to a new level of unconsciousness. All the reflection and all the doubts have to be laid aside befor...

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

In Romanticism, the main determinant is the mood, the atmosphere. And in that regard, you could also describe Schubert as a Romantic.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Author Bio

  • NameDietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  • DescriptionGerman lyric baritone and conductor
  • BornMay 28, 1925
  • DiedMay 18, 2012
  • CountryGermany
  • ProfessionConductor; Author; Singer; Opera Singer; Musician
  • AwardsKnight Of The Legion Of Honour; Commandeur Des Arts Et Des Lettres?; Order Of Merit For Arts And Science; Honorary Citizen Of Berlin; Grand Cross Of The Order Of Merit Of The Federal Republic Of Germany With Star; Ernst Reuter Medal; Musikpreis Der Stadt Duisburg; Praemium Imperiale; Léonie Sonning Music Prize