A fascinating historical collection tracing seventy years of classical singing through celebrated recordings by some of the greatest operatic voices of the recorded era.
Featured performers include Enrico Caruso, Nellie Melba, Feodor Chaliapin, Lauritz Melchior, Elisabeth Schumann, Lotte Lehmann, Ezio Pinza and Kirsten Flagstad. Recordings date from the early acoustic era through to Wilhelm Furtwängler’s 1952 recording of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.
Produced from the EMI archives by John Steane and Bryan Crimp. This 1973 HMV Treasury release was issued as a companion to J. B. Steane’s respected book The Grand Tradition: Seventy Years of Singing on Record. The record is mono but suitable for playback on both mono and stereo equipment.
UK pressing on the brown His Master’s Voice label. Catalogue number HLM 7026, with additional EMI number 0C 047-01454M.
The vinyl shows light surface marks and signs of previous use. The illustrated sleeve has some age-related edge and corner wear, light creasing and a removed price sticker on the front. Includes its period inner sleeve. The record has not been play-tested and is therefore offered based on visual inspection.
A worthwhile collection for admirers of historic opera recordings, great singers and early twentieth-century vocal performance.