Lotte Lehmann - Isolde'sLiebestod

[martinr10001]

thanks so much-martin r.

[martinr10001]

one of the greatest Wagner singers--thanks so much-Martin R.

[65attila]

Lotte's singing here and whatever else she sang had layers of expression.

[Noshirm]

Thank you so much for this incredible post, where Lehmann does incredible justice to this piece! (:-o)

[paulostroff99]

Awesome!

[1psoas9]

Aside from her singhing ,which is glorious in a unique way, there is her conception of hte role, which is heroic to the highest degree -- her soul seems to destroy her body in her haste to join Tristan, in no way mrbidlyt -- there is NO morbidezza here, no "rich to die" sensibility, she just burns through herself like a phoenix. i'm almost equaly amazed how good this old record sounds on the machine it was made to be played on.

[troppofiato]

Wonderful - and really amazingly good sound! Love seeing your record player too! Never heard the Liebestod at such a clip - gives it urgency and passion, but I'm wondering if it was a musical decision or just trying to fit it into the record - remember reading Ponselle complaining about some of her records that were rushed for this very same reason.

[kjack30]

How lovely

[isabelle070209]

Elle avait pas la voix de Isolde mais rêvait de chanter ce rôle... Alors en concert et en studio elle s'accordait la mort d'Isolde.

[uniqueattack]

What has Wagner done to us with this music. I am bewitched and my whole body is stretched and pulled with emotion!

[CurzonRoad]

While Frida Leider's 1931 studio recording is my favorite, the Lotte Lehmann version presented here runs a very, very close second. Long/short... they are BOTH wonderful ! THANK YOU ! *****

[daughterrevolution]

Awesome.

[Federicopera]

Great, I want more Lottes stuff!!! She is poetess!!!!

[opera1dan2]

I don't know if she had the voice for the whole role - what do you think? She certainly had it for this aria! Absoltely fantastic - thanks so much for the post.

[zafireh]

As far as i know she never sang Isolde on stage,only this aria. She always wanted to, and she also prepared it, but at the end she was afraid that her voice was too small. But it was her heart's desire to sing it!

However i think that besides Callas' version this is the most touching Isolde that i've heard. Her technique, voice and expression are extraordinary

[796824]

If only the singers or rather their teachers today would be able to grasp the technique, brilliance, spontaneity, artistry, that the Golden Age of Singers exemplified

[merrihew]

Check out the film clip of her that I posted.

[796824]

Ever grateful for your generosity in sharing the "thing of beauty, a joy forever."

[uniqueattack]

especially the beauty of pure tone without tricks and the wonderful bel canto approach

[pianoboyo]

Its stunning sound. I totally agree, that she seems to burn up from the inside. Its a sensational performance. I just CANNOT BELIEVE that any producer could put a side turn right in the middle of Liebestod. It's criminal, there must be an onward flow from first note to beyond the last note!

[33blueberries]

Brilliant. And I have no problems with the speed, or the tuning.

[Ostasio]

Perhaps the most beautiful German voice ever recorded.

[merrihew]

You don't have to convince me.

[paulostroff99]

Ostasio-Even is only the second best EVER,SHE WAS WITHOUT DOUBT THE FINEST SINGER OF THEM ALL.

[paulostroff99]

Perhaps not as good as the Flagstad,but every bit as beautiful with even more warmth. Brava!

[patjan92]

I'd listen to this at any speed. What a gorgeous interpretation of this piece.

[AulicExclusiva]

The record is perhaps being played at a slightly faster speed than 78. Not only does the tempo seem faster than in my CD transfer but Lotte gets a quick tremolo that she certainly did NOT have.

[merrihew]

Actually, I check the speed (78.26 rpm for electrics) quite often with a strobe. Perhaps it was not recorded exactly at that speed although by 1930 it should have been standardized.

[AulicExclusiva]

Thank you. I do think it's fast.

I want to thank you personally for all these videos with the orthophonic Victrola. They are generally marvelous and moving. I even get a kick out of seeing you move the needle box into the record and remove it at the end.

Perhaps you can post one in which one can see the machine being wound up. Marvelous!

[rdecordes]

Thank you for posting this..I had never heard Lotte Lehmann's Liebestod..I love it..she has the most beautiful quality of all the Wagnerian sopranos..including Flagstad..but you have to give the breathing to Flagstad..she truly embodies allusions to breath..Wellen sanfter Lüfte..soll ich atmen soll ich schlürfen..Welt-Atem..she just starts off slowly and so calmly and evenly deflates til she disappears..if you go to the Lotte Lehmann site you find this recording..it is slower & a half tone lower

[merrihew]

I have subsequently found that indeed, speeds were still ranging from about 76 to 80 rpm even by the major producers after the advent of electrical recording. Lacking scores all I can do is compare with a trusted CD reissue.

[796824]

No one today could even close to Lehmann.This is absolutely brilliant.

[spunsilver]

Give me her shoe, I will drink champagne from it.

[gwdexter]

Thank you so, so much for uploading this!

The description for this video says that it was recorded in 1930, which is impossible since Lehmann died in 1929! The recording is actually from 1906 or 1907.

[gwdexter]

I am so embarrassed! Never mind! confusing Lilli and Lotte is not something I would normally do. Forgive me!

[merrihew]

You're thinking of Lilli Lehmann. This is LOTTE Lehmann (1888-1976)

[gwdexter]

If you don't have it already, I can send you an MP3 of LILLI's 1906 Liebestod, to redeem myself from this humiliating error. Message me if you're interested.

[merrihew]

Thanks. I have the complete Lehmann LP set issued by HMV a number of years ago. Too bad she couldn't have been recorded when she was younger.

[mzs2]

Thank you, Merrihew, Lehmann's Liebestod is transcendent. She alone of all the divas radiates the spiritual ecstasy of Isolde. What a voice!  What a treasure!

mzs

[VoyArrasando]

Wow!!! Wow Wow Wow wow wow!! thank you so much for posting this!! Truely a gift! I swear Lotte's middle name should have been "Diction" because this has got to be the clearest version of this aria I've ever heard. Stupendous!

[VivaMariaCallas]

The tempo is understandably quick, but it doesn't detract from the sumptuous singing. I think Lehmann's voice is one of the three most beautiful Germanic voices of the past century (along with Flagstad's & Rysanek's top register).

[mwk12kev]

Thank you, quite beautiful!

[kspm01]

Impressive performance, Lehmann was obviously very well capable of singing this moving aria.

[merrihew]

Actually, playing on a high quality machine using a new needle doesn't hurt the record. The needles are soft and the records are made with an abrasive. Nevertheless, I usually use a modern system. I'm doing this so you have something to look at.

[fdartmouth]

Beautful recording - I hope you digitize before the record degrades to much