THE ART OF ELISABETH SCHUMANN: Elisabeth Schumann,...

THE ART OF ELISABETH SCHUMANN: Elisabeth Schumann, soprano; various pianists, orchestras and conductors. Seraphim IB-6144 (two mono records). In this memorable reissue anthology (offered at scandalously low budget prices), Schumann replenishes the catalogue with the vocalism that secured her reputation in the lyric repertory in the first half of the century. She offers Mozart with airily floated tone and without soubrettish archness, and Viennese operetta excerpts of pristine freshness (Adele’s Act 3 “Fledermaus” aria is a justifiable classic). The Baroque material, including bits from a complete 1929 Bach Mass in B minor, find her on less assured stylistic grounds, but where a song demands an uncomplicated emotional response (Flies’ “Wiegenlied” or Humperdinck’s Sandman song), Schumann leaves an indelible impression. Thirty-five numbers recorded between 1926-1945, in superior remasterings; complete texts and translation.