Decca recorded the previous year's Lohengrin under the direction of Joseph Keilberth with Steber, Varnay, Windgassen, and Uhde. The cast from the next year was at least on that level. This was not Nilsson's debut at Bayreuth (she sang the Beethoven 9th a year earlier), but it was her first leading role for the festival (she also sang Ortlinde in that year's Ring cycles). In the event, she is a lovely Elsa with her laser high notes and smooth line. Elsa is not really her role though. Varnay simply is Ortrud. Even though one obviously can't see her she still makes her presence felt without uttering a sound.Uhde is a tremendously good Telramund, singing his declamatory music without barking. Windgassen shows he is able to sing a fully supported piano and sing lyrically as well as he does the more heroic stuff: a masterful singer. Adam sounds terrific, smooth and steady, as the King; what a shame his voice became so gravelly later on. Fischer-Dieskau is a truly distinguished Herald. Jochum conducts an almost magical performance of the uncut score.That's right: there are no cuts. Even the often cut ensemble after "In fernem Land" is given complete (and we get two more high Bs from Nilsson!) The next time the opera was revived (1958) the cuts were reinstated and I don't think they've been restored since. The sound is superb.

At his entrance, Windgassen employs a haunting “mezza voce” to differentiate his mystic nature from the heroics of his mission. Nilsson’s Elsa is a guileless creation, her tone round and warm. Varnay is Ortrud to her core. Place any other beside her to pale. Uhde’s vocal prowess and control encompass Telramund’s daunting range, steeped in malice and misery. Adam, here promoted from Bayreuth’s 4th Noble to King, is all benevolent legato. Fischer-Dieskau, in his Bayreuth debut, is splendid, youthful and clarion in his declarations. Jochum’s romanticism is unabashed in a nod to the opera’s Italian cousins.

Great performances by all. Many Elsas turn to Ortrud later in their careers. The young Nilsson already had her astounding legato and is as good an Elsa as I've ever heard. (She later said that she wished that she had gotten a chance to sing Ortrud but no one would hire her -- that is, pay her fee -- to plpay the role. This is not to complain about the great Astrid Varnay for one monment. Uhde and Windgassen are brilliant. The luxury of Dietrich Fiescher-Dieskau as the Herald makes this even more of a treasure. Jochum's conducting is first-rate. Run, do not walk, to get this recording.

This is a near-perfect performance of LOHENGRIN. Everyone in the cast is first-rate, even Theo Adam in his youth before he developed his later unpleasant wobble and gurgling sound. Hermann Uhde and Astrid Varnay do spectacularly well as the scheming villains; Varnay is evil incarnate and Uhde is passionate as well as powerful, even makes me feel sorry for the stupid manipulated rock-head Telramund. Windgassen is very much at home as the Swan-Knight, singing with a full-sailed, heroic sound and his usual keen dramatic insight. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a special treat as the Heerrufer, which is a much better role for him than Telramund--when he tries to sing Telramund on the Kempe recording, he sounds too small and too intelligent for the character. My only complaint is that Birgit Nilsson is a little too big and heroic for her meek, feminine character. Her future celebrity-value more than makes up for this, though.