Lieder anyone?

Normal for a 1st class musician which rv is .

I have heard the same thing more or less from 20 Germans in one of the best orchestras in Germany .

I would think it be even worse for those doing solos.

Also, I agree that knowing the language really helps !

At one time I dreamt in German and most Germans thought I was a German .

Now , over a decade not speaking it and old age takes much away from me , esp.in Bach Cantatas . It hurts .

There's a recording of Beethoven lieder by Matthias Goerne on DG that I like quite a bit.

I too can see Rvs' point of view and totally concur. I don't listen to much lieder or opera for precisely that point , I usually read the notes or synopsis first and then listen to it for the beauty of sound. It usually is a great bonus as in jim5559's case of a second language and luckily German so you can better understand what is going on. 

I have about a dozen versions of Winterreise, and I listen mostly to Goerne because I like his performance and it is one that has been ripped to my server.  Strauss' Four Last Songs has so many great performances; I tend to listen mostly to Schwartzkopf and Janowitz.  My other often played lieder recordings is Mahlers Das Lied von der Erde with Brigitte Faesbaender.

There are some very good modern lieder composers that are worth looking into.  I think you could pick up any Eric Whitacre recording and find something you will like.

I don't care if I can't understand the words that are being sung. It's the sound, more accurately the noises that are produced, that do it for me. Yeah I have a passing familiarity with most of the languages that lieder are sung in, but even when I don't it's no problem for me to fill in the emotional blanks and just ride with it.