Lotte Lehmann enjoyed a forty-year career spanning 1910 to 1950 on stage in opera and on the concert platform. Remembered now primarily for her portrayals of Wagner and Strauss roles and as a consummate interpreter of German lieder, her early recordings, not widely known, give us a broader picture of this great artist. It will, perhaps, not come as a surprise to hear Lehmann in her now familiar roles: Sieglinde, Elsa, Eva, and the Marschallin. What really makes these records outstanding is the ease and beauty of Lehmann's vocal production, and the opportunity of hearing her in repertoire not associated with her. We are treated to a generous sprinkling of Mozart, including three duets with baritone Heinrich Schlusnus, as well as arias by Weber, Lortzing, and Nicolai. Although she sings in German, you can hear French opera arias from La Juive, Faust, Mignon, Carmen, Tales of Hoffmann, and Manon. From Italian opera, we hear the Willow Song from Otello and Puccini arias from Manon Lescaut, La Bohème, Tosca, Butterfly, and two rare recordings from Suor Angelica. Other highlights include Lehmann's recording of Tatyana's Letter Scene from Eugene Onegin, an aria from d'Albert's Die toten Augen, and the exquisite aria and duet from Korngold's Die tote Stadt with tenor Richard Tauber. These are among the greatest treasures of the acoustic recording era. The booklet contains a biographical essay by Dr. Daniel Jacobson, Professor of Music at Western Michigan University, an essay on the recordings by Michael Aspinall, and a personal reminiscence by André Tubeuf, who has also provided numerous rare and lovely photos from Lehmann’s early career prior to her emergence on to the international operatic scene. Since there is some extra space at the end of the fourth CD, we are offering a selection of operatic and lieder recordings from her electric Odeon discography, 1927-1932.

Lotte Lehmann (1888–1976) was a lyric soprano with a beautiful, rich voice, combined with impeccable musicianship and an innate skill for poetry and storytelling. This six-CD set presents Lehmann’s complete electrical recordings for the Odeon label, all made in Berlin between 1927 and 1933. Lehmann embraced and took full advantage of the new medium of electrical recording while still in her vocal prime. Remembered especially for her portrayals of Wagner and Strauss roles and as a consummate interpreter of German Lieder, her Odeon electrical recordings do not disappoint. Here, Lehmann expands her more famous repertoire to include selections from French and Italian opera to operetta, popular favorites of the time, and some lovely hymns and chorales accompanied by organ. This collection offers selections from Wagner’s Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Die Walküre, and Lehmann’s only recording of Isolde’s Liebestod. Selections from Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos and Arabella may also be enjoyed. Many gems are included on this set, including: “Leise, leise” from Der Freischütz; “Komm’ Hoffnung” from Fidelio; “Porgi amor” from Le nozze di Figaro; “Kennst du das Land” from Mignon; and Rosalinde’s two songs from Die Fledermaus. There is also a substantial selection of Lieder by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Strauss. The recordings have all been meticulously remastered from original pressings, adding luster to Lehmann’s incomparable singing. The set is completed by a substantial booklet containing an abundance of photos, a biographical overview by Dr. Daniel Jacobson, essays on the recordings by Michael Aspinall and Gary Hickling, and a technical note by Ward Marston.

Elisabeth Rethberg was one of the most highly-regarded sopranos of the decades between the world wars. For twenty years, her silvery spinto voice captivated Metropolitan Opera audiences, and her records were major staples in the Brunswick and Victor catalogues.

Born Lisbeth Sättler in Schwarzenberg, Germany, her earliest musical education was with her father who was a music teacher.  At sixteen, she began studying voice and piano at the Dresden Royal Conservatory. Her debut took place at the Dresden Opera in 1915, as Arsena in Johann Strauss’s Der Zigeunerbaron opposite the rising tenor, Richard Tauber. The following year, she was entrusted with the Countess in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Eva in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. In 1919 She sang the Empress in Richard Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten in the Dresden premiere, and nine years later sang the leading role in the world premiere of Strauss’s Die ägyptische Helena.

Rethberg’s Metropolitan Opera debut came in 1922 as Verdi’s Aida. She soon took up residence in New York and joined the Met where she remained for twenty years. There she performed thirty roles by Verdi, Mozart, and Wagner. She often returned to Europe to sing at La Scala, Covent Garden, and The Salzburg Festival.

Rethberg’s first group of records were made in Berlin between 1920 and 1922 for the Lindstrom company, appearing on their Odeon label. She returned to the company in 1931 and 1933 to record several additional selections. These recordings have never been reissued complete and are included here for the first time. This set includes all of her recordings for Brunswick, Victor, and the Gramophone Company, with the notable addition of six previously unpublished Brunswick records remastered from the singer’s own test pressings. The set concludes with three selections recorded by the Bell Telephone Laboratory, excerpts from a 1933 performance of Der Freischütz at the Vienna State Opera, and several appearances on US radio programs between 1937 and 1940.

Arthur Rubinstein, during a visit to the Curtis Institute of Music in 1938, singled out just one young artist who was likely to achieve a major career, the twenty-four-year-old Cuban pianist Jorge Bolet, who already (like Rubinstein) had an inimitably beautiful piano tone. The confirmation of Rubinstein’s prediction, however, was to be many decades in coming. Bolet (arguably similar to Rubinstein) had a narrative power and visceral excitement when playing before an audience that he seldom achieved in the recording studio. To celebrate Bolet’s centennial, Marston presents this six-CD collection of concert performances, many of which are all new to the Bolet discography. Jorge Bolet was not the only pianist to have been called “the last romantic,” but he was the only one to have worn the appellation “an old-fashioned Romantic pianist” as a proud badge of honor. He frequently invoked the memories of the pantheon of pianists who were his inspiration—Hofmann, Rachmaninoff, Friedman, Rosenthal, Moiseiwitsch, Cortot, Gieseking, and Paderewski. He said simply, “I wanted to be one of them.”

Here is a collection to prove he achieved just that. Although more than seven hours of Bolet playing, the recordings contained on this set are carefully-selected to highlight Jorge Bolet at his spontaneous best. Included are a number of Godowsky compositions that Jorge never recorded commercially; two selections from the 1970 International Piano Library benefit concert; and several pieces that are unique to the Bolet discography such as the Bach Toccata, the Mozart Rondo, the Chasins Schwanda Fantasy, and the Vořišek Impromptu in E.

A Century of Romantic Chopin is a four-CD compilation commemorating the Chopin bicentennial year. The set includes some 65 pianists, going back to Francis Planté and Vladimir de Pachmann who were born when Chopin was still alive. Other pianists in the set include Josef Hofmann, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ferruccio Busoni, Moritz Rosenthal, Ignace Jan Paderewski, Ignaz Friedman, Alfred Cortot, Jan Smeterlin, Rosita Renard, Claudio Arrau, Guiomar Novaes, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Solomon, Arthur Rubinstein, Emil Gilels, Earl Wild, Jorge Bolet, and others. All of Chopin’s etudes are represented, as well as a selection of preludes, mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, ballades, and scherzi, each performance conveying a personal approach to the music. Some of the recordings will already be familiar to pianophiles because of their legendary status, while many others will be delightful surprises, as they are taken from concert performances and out-of-print recordings.

Note: Original CD set is Sold Out; you will receive a CDR Version

Hermann Jadlowker (1877-1953) is one of the greatest coloratura tenors on record. He is a master of phrasing and displays a remarkable command of fioritura. Singing trills and runs effortlessly and accurately, Jadlowker exhibits unbelievable agility and virtuosity. This two-CD compilation highlights Jadlowker's distinguished career. It includes “Ecco ridente in cielo” from Rossini's Barber of Seville (one of the finest tenor records of all time;) the exceedingly rare “Fuor del mar” from Mozart's Idomeneo; and six, electrically recorded sides marking the end of his extraordinary career.

Note: Original CD set is Sold Out; you will receive a CDR Version

This recording of Carmen, sung in German, is one of the first efforts to record a complete opera. The Gramophone Company in Berlin began recording Carmen during the week of 14 October 1908 and because of Emmy Destinn's remarkable portrayal of the bohemian heroine, this recording has become known as “The Destinn Carmen.” Emmy Destinn (1878-1930) completely dominates this recording. Destinn was in her prime and her voice leaps out of the grooves with youthful vitality. Her musicality, highly developed acting skills and earthy personality create one of the most remarkable characterizations of Carmen the recorded world has known. The German language seems to sharpen the edge of the opera which sustains a dramatic intensity. Karl Jörn, Minnie Nast, and Hermann Bachmann round out the cast as Don José, Micaëla and Escamillo.

One of our early releases was the 1908 recording of Bizet's Carmen sung in German by a cast headed by the larger than life Bohemian soprano, Emmy Destinn. During that year she also participated in a similar recording of Gounod's Faust, which in Germany was titled Margarethe to differentiate it from Goethe's revered masterpiece. Over the years we received requests from our customers to reissue this earliest recording of Gounod's opera, and finally released this issue as a two-CD set. The cast includes tenor Karl Jörn, mezzo Marie Goetze, baritone Desider Zador, and bass Paul Knüpfer. The orchestra and chorus are in the capable hands of Bruno Seidler-Winkler. Michael Aspinall's informative essay includes biographical information on the singers and a thorough critical analysis of the performance. The second CD concludes with ten of Emmy Destinn's most revered recordings from the period 1906 to 1910.