Meeting Horst Wahl

I've known the name Horst Wahl since it was mentioned in the Lehmann Discography by Floris Juynboll which appeared in the magazine Stimmen die um die Welt gingen in 1983. A recording technician at Odeon in the 1920's, I figured that he was a part of history until I saw an impressive dedication which appeared in Juynboll's discography in the Lehmann biography by Jefferson in 1988.

When Judy and I planned our European Lehmann project, I called Walter Schwartz of the Munich Philharmonic, asking him to track down Herr Wahl and see if he'd be interested in giving us an interview. When Walter called me back (on a US tour with the Philharmonic), he had the good news to report that Herr Wahl was alive, well and enthusiastic about speaking to us on Lehmann.

The first call I made when we landed in Germany was to Horst Wahl. We made an appointment and after our visit to the German Radio Archives in Frankfurt, we went to Freiburg for the interview. We were hardly prepared for what awaited us.

Though going on 90, Horst Wahl is full of energy and mentally as alert as the bright young man he was, when from 1925 to 1935 he served as a recording engineer for Lehmann at Odeon. The following is based on our taped interview.

Herr Wahl began making recordings at home in 1910 when he was ten years old. He'd already been living in a world of music: his father was fascinated by vocal music and his uncle was Hans Gregor, the director of the Vienna Court Opera. You may remember that it was this director who had visited the Hamburg Opera and discovered and hired Lehmann. On each of his visits to Berlin, Herr Gregor praised his "discovery," and the elder Wahl made it a point to hear Lehmann on his trips to Vienna. Horst joined in the excitement and bought any Lehmann recordings he could find.

When young Horst graduated, his only wish was to work for the recording industry. Odeon hired him and he worked as a technician in the morning and as a record salesman in the afternoon in the Odeon store. As Horst Wahl put it, "I was crazy about recordings."

One day, a lady wearing a low-brimmed helmet hat in flapper mode entered one of the listening booths and asked Horst to play recordings of soprano voices. When asked which singers she was interested in, she replied, "Show me what you think is good and worth buying." He stated (probably quite categorically), "If you want to hear my taste--there is nothing more beautiful than Lotte Lehmann"

She replied, "I thank you, young man," and looking up from under her hat, "that's who I am." According to Horst Wahl at 89, that was the greatest and most embarrassing moment of his life. He stated (probably quite categorically), "If you want to hear my taste--there is nothing more beautiful than Lotte Lehmann"

She replied, "I thank you, young man," and looking up from under her hat, "that's who I am." According to Horst Wahl at 89, that was the greatest and most embarrassing moment of his life. After his blushing and stammering were over, they talked for hours and even listened to a few records.

Lehmann, who was dissatisfied with her recordings asked, since Wahl knew her voice so well, that he should be present for her next sessions as one of the recording technicians. The electric microphone had already been used, but Odeon was still in transition. When, with Wahl in attendance, Lehmann recorded the Eulenburg "Rosenlieder," they tried it both with microphone and horn. Because of careful placement, Wahl was able to obtain remarkable results with the horn, and it was decided that these were superior to the eleccric recordings. To this day, Horst Wahl remains proud of the recording quality of these last acoustic recordings sung by Lehmann.

During the interview we spoke at length of technical matters, of his connection with the Edison studios in New Jersey and of his books about early recordings. We also asked how the choice of recorded repertoire was made. Evidently, this included whatever the recording company administration thought would sell: Lehmann's famous opera roles, recital encores and sometimes banal trifles. Financial concerns were often maior considerations. The best conductors of the time (Furtwängler, Klemperer, Strauss, etc.) were generally passed over as accompanying conductors because they were too expensive. Money was often more important than artistic decisions and resulted in the little snippets of music that were excerpted from Der Rosenkavalier, which still bothers Herr Wahl. He notes that even these weren't recorded in the order in which they occur in the opera. But he understands that such a long opera had to be condensed: this was during the Depression and records were expensive. He had heard the new CD of Der Rosenkavalier and was very impressed with the improvement of both Lehmann's voice and the orchestra. Wahl reminded us that the artists were required to stop every three or four minutes when a new wax master was set up. He credits Lehmann for being able to sustain the emotion and mentioned other great singers of the past (including Melba, Nordica and Jeritza) who weren't successful in the studio.

When Herr Wahl worked for Odeon, he dealt with catalogs as well as technical matters. He also studied voice and when he became friends with Lehmann, he privately recorded duets with her. Sadly, all his Lehmann letters and these private recordings were destroyed on the last day of the Second World War.

He also had recorded conversations and the impertinent letters to his uncle, Director Gregor, which Lehmann wrote refusing new roles. Wahl mentioned that she often thought a new role wouldn't be "right" for her, but it wasn't for lack of confidence or fear of learning new music. Both vocal and dramatic considerarions caused her to refuse. Even Wahl advised Lehmann not to sing Turandot and repeatedly told her to capitalize on her mezzo range.

Horst Wahl was very eager to speak of the unique qualities of Lehmann's singing that now, after recording and listening to thousands of voices, remains for him the greatest of them alL He spoke of the enormous heart and soul that Lehmann was able to bring even to recordings. Her shortcomings became assets. The quickly-caught breath had tone and became part of the song, which intensified its content.

He recalled the making of the 1928 Lehmann recording of "Frauenliebe und -leben " and the almost unbelievable pleasure that the young, vibrant voice provided him, standing next to her as she sang. Herr Wahl likened her vital, youthful voice to a beautiful flower, from which, over the years, petals fll, one by one. By her final appearances in the 5O's, Wahl noted a huskiness in the voice. But she still "knew the art of Lieder singing...and always could fill the music with her great heart and soul"

-GH