LOHENGRIN

Chorus & Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera (27 January 1940)

Melchior, Rethberg, Thorborg, Huehn, List, Warren / Erich Leinsdorf

Among the most thrilling broadcasts of this opera, Melchior is the Lohengrin of one's dreams; Rethberg´s singing creates an ecstatic, visionary Elsa giving, perhaps, the most electrifying performance in the Bridal Chamber Scene ever heard; Thorborg´s richly voiced Ortrud, all darkness and malevolence is intensely memorable. With its good sound and a booklet offering articles about the work and the singers, a track-related synopsis, biographies and rare pictorials, this Guild release offers yet another important performance from the latter days of the Golden Age of Wagner at the Met, which will be a treasure to those who esteem this era.