American dramatic soprano Brenda Roberts is very little documented, which gives this set some inherent value. It also shows why she was an also-ran in the post-Birgit Nilsson era. Her Ortrud is very white in coloration, with a stringy top. At least she has plenty of "face," a quality lacking from Caterina Ligendza, who seems to be doing a Roberts impersonation. Somewhat more secure in the top voice, Ligendza -- mainly thought of as an Isolde and Brünnhilde -- adapts capably to the lyrical demands of Elsa but the grading curve is very steep and many have done better. By contrast, the role of Lohengrin plays right into René Kollo's strengths, which include well-supported soft singing, showcased by "In fernem Land," and generous legato. He's the aural picture of a handsome young knight.Kurt Moll humanizes King Henry interestingly and his nappy bass is, as always, one of the 20th century's great aural pleasures. His Herald, Franz Grundheber, is exceptionally good, while Siegfried Nimsgern bristles with aggrieved privilege as Telramund. Unfortunately, he sounds a size too small for this assemblage. Horst Stein conducts a trim, buoyant performance. Some of the score's ethereal qualities are scanted but you can't always have A, B *and* C. He cuts a difficult chorus from Act II, which helps to fit the opera to one CD per act. The sound is average in-house mono. By contrast, the 1958 Bayreuth broadcast (OD 10719-3) sweeps the board in every respect and is an imposing first choice.

This is an interesting performance, well conducted by Horst Stein, featuring fine singers. The often-underrated Brenda Roberts, who should have been more famous than she was, is a really exciting Ortrud, both because of her talent but also because she's unusual for the role: she has a really pale-sounding voice with lots of upper harmonics, like a rapier, not the broad-sword-like sound one gets from more chesty Ortruds like Astrid Varnay or Gabriele Schnaut. Rene Kollo and Kurt Moll are fine; Sigmund Nimsgern is adequate but a little boring. But there's a big problem: for some reason, maybe the position of the mike in theater, the orchestra is much louder than the singers. This made it very difficult for me to enjoy the performance.