A New CD Set: The Young Lotte Lehmann

A recent release of a 3 CD set of Lehmann recordings by Preiser is called "The Young Lotte Lehmann". It includes most of the recordings in the Lebendige Vergangenheit series LV 22, 94, 180, 294, and 1336 except for those items recorded after 1925. I wrote to Prof. Jürgen Schmidt, the set's producer; he responded, saying that the title was chosen so that the consumer will know the album's coneents. He believes that there will be enough CDs from other companies covering her later recordings. The sources are the same as for the LPs with the exceptions of the two Suor Angelica arias and the Eugen Onegin title, where better original copies were located. He has not allowed any "tricks" or filters to alter the original sound.

These recordings have all the advantages of CDs... and all the positive attributes of the original LPs of the "LV" series. The sound is good, considering the period, and the young Lehmann sounds...well, young. Though these recordings are invaluable for any Lehmann fan, I can't help thinking that she wouldn't be so highly regarded if she hadn't made the later "electric" recordings with her deeper, more mature interpretations. The number of roles recorded is impressive (see the companion article in this issue on her roles). The set includes the expected arias of Wagner, and Mozart as well as lesser known composers such as D'Albert. -GH