Lotte Lehmann – A 125th Birthday Tribute

It’s difficult to exaggerate the veneration that Lotte Lehmann (1888 – 1976) enjoyed during her career as a lyric soprano. Any press agent today would be hard-pressed to write the kind of glowing reviews that regularly appeared in newspapers wherever she sang. In her first career, primarily as an opera singer, she sang at opera houses of Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, London, Paris, Chicago, New York and San Francisco; sang local and world premiers of works by Korngold, Richard Strauss, Puccini and others.

Lotte Lehmann had genius. She knew how to win not just the admiration, but the love of her audience. Few performers in the world of classical music have been so loved. Her enthusiasm, commitment, and ardor come across in spite of the limitations of the recording and the performance. She seemed to be in touch with the same power that had inspired the poets and musicians whose work she brought to life. Those who heard her felt that, and it lifted them up. That is the greatest gift that art can give.

This marvelous collection of "rarities" has been selected  from archival radio performances and studio "test pressings." Included are 10 previously unreleased recordings. All selection have been restored in 2013.