Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Frida Leider, Giuseppe Verdi :: Her Rarest Recordings, 1921-1926

Early and Very Rare Acoustic Leider

Doug - Haydn Fan | California | 07/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For many opera lovers of the early thirties Frida Leider was the sine qua non of Wagnerian sopranos. The appearance of Kirsten Fladstad offered Met-goers a once in a century opportunity - the chance to hear what were very likely the two greatest Wagnerian sopranos of a century back-to-back over the course of two decades. In hindsight we can understand how impossibly spoiled these opera-goers became, a situation that was certainly not improved in following decades when other great Wagnerians, such as Helen Trauble and later Brigit Nilsson, appeared at the Met. Today we have nothing like such singers, and there are no signs the dearth of great Wagner leads, either female or male, will be abating.

This particular CD offers recordings made during the first half of the 1920's at the beginning of Frida Leider's career. Presier's CD keeps up the companies reputation for excellent sources well processed. We're unlikely to hear better CD tracks from this time. Leider's quality of singing, projecting the emotion behind the words without inflicting the line with Verisimo effects, holding a nice cantabile when necessary, imparting nobility and dignity without a loss of spontaneity, and most importantly, reaching out to her audience with a unique and telling voice - all these traits are here already apparent in her singing. Later she would add in addition a greater scale and an urgent mesmerizing grasp of lyrics. But she is already at this point in the twenties a wonderful singer and redoubtable dramatist.

I believe she was the favorite singer of the noted opera critic and consummate connoissuer of early opera, Richard Bebb.

It's easy to understand why - few singers bring more to their art, or leave us with greater rewards in listening."