Description:

Recorded just a year after Strauss' death and over three decades after the opera’s premiere, this performance offers a compelling glimpse into the early performance tradition of Die Frau ohne Schatten. Annelies Kupper's silvery soprano suits the Empress beautifully, and Heinrich Bensing brings both lyrical sensitivity and power to the Emperor's punishing vocal lines. A young Christa Ludwig makes a memorable impression as the Falcon, hinting at her future affinity with Strauss. The sound is excellent, though Erna Schlüter struggles with the role of the Dyer’s Wife, unable to navigate its treacherous tessitura even with lowered passages.

In Mono

OD 11662-3