Orchestral Songs (rec 1957) (with Wagner-Wesendonck Lieder)

Kirsten Flagstad (1895-1962) was born in Norway and made her debut in 1913. She started singing Wagner in Bayreuth in 1933 and in 1935, she created a sensation at the Met in New York on her debut singing Sieglinde. Almost overnight, she was regarded as the supreme Wagnerian soprano of her generation. In 1936-37 she sang with Beecham, Fritz Reiner and Wilhelm Furtwangler at Covent Garden. Following the War, she repeated all her Wagnerian roles at Covent Garden from 1948 to 1951. Her final operatic appearance was in 1953 but she continued to record and give concerts and was also Director of the Norwegian Opera (1958-1960). She died in Oslo on 7th December 1962.

The Farewell concert caught live from London's Royal Albert Hall in September 1957 was an emotional occasion and consisted entirely of Grieg Songs. This concert has appeared on Simax but appears to be no longer available and of course, she recorded the songs for Decca in the studio. These are the BBC masters and re-produce the excitement of the occasion perfectly.

The short 5 minute talk given by John Culshaw (Decca and the BBC) is illustrative of the enormous regard in which Flagstad was held by audiences and producers alike.

To complete the compilation, two broadcasts of Wagner - the Wesendonck Lieder and the Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde - have been included and research indicates that these 1953 performances conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent from the Royal Festival Hall have never been available before. These were sourced from the British Library Sound Archive.