René Kollo virtually dominated the Heldentenor repertoire during the 1980s and 1990s, distinguishing himself with a youthful yet powerful tone in roles often relegated to tenors who sounded anything but. However, it is fair to say that Kollo’s greatest decade was the 1970s—a time when he was beginning to delve deeper into the Wagnerian repertoire, while still possessing the lyricism and youthful bloom that made his early years so extraordinary. His Parsifal and Lohengrin were particularly remarkable for the angelic aura he was able to create around the characters.

I am very pleased to honor this great tenor with this compilation featuring arias and excerpts from Die Zauberflöte, Der Freischütz, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Der fliegende Holländer, Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Parsifal, and Siegfried.