Kirsten Flagstad as Alceste

Even for those listeners who have never heard soprano Kirsten Flagstad sing before, these 1952 Wagner recordings with Georges Sebastian leading the Orchester der Städtischen Oper Berlin might be enough to make them true believers. Right from the opening bars of Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder, her effortlessly floating lines; her gracefully expressive phrasing; her deep, ringing tone; and her strong, controlled technique are impressive. But long before the first song is over, most listeners will likely be swept away by Flagstad's palpable charisma. In her performances, the dreamy sensuality of "Der Engel," the restless yearning of "Stehe Still," the dark melancholy of "Im Treibhaus," the raw pain of "Schmerzen," and the blissful transcendence of "Träume" are ineffably, even intimately, moving.
But that's just the opening selection. The core of the disc includes the three excerpts from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde climaxing with the opera's concluding "Love Death." Those familiar with Flagstad's awe-inspiring recordings of the opera from the '30s may be less impressed with this late recording. But those new to her voice should be prepared to be blown away by her rapturously ecstatic account. With Flagstad's clarion tone and affecting delivery, the five excerpts from Gluck's Alceste with Johan Hye-Knudsen and the Danish Radio Orchestra and Chorus from 1957 that follow are fascinating enough by themselves. But after the sublime thrills of Isolde's "Love Death," they seem rather small beer. And, speaking of beer, if Urania's sound were a brew, it would likely be a double bock with lots of body but very little clarity. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide