Risë Stevens achieved crossover success into popular culture, an accomplishment few mezzos have managed. However, in this recording of excerpts from Orfeo ed Euridice, it becomes clear that beneath the glamour and Hollywood allure, she was an artist of exceptional refinement and intelligence. Her lower range, in particular, is sumptuously rich, lending Orfeo's monologues a deep, almost guttural sadness that resonates profoundly.

Erich Kleiber's approach to conducting is unapologetically romantic, yet it is rendered with taste and restraint, complementing Stevens' performance and the overall emotional depth of the work.