Notes and Editorial Reviews
In the mid-1970s, a well-known record magazine published an article under the heading "Singing Careers as Victims of War," in a reference to budding careers that remained largely or completely unfulfilled because of the Second World War and its aftermath. The life of the dramatic mezzo-soprano Johanna Blatter offers a particularly glaring example of this. If political conditions had not robbed her of the best years of her career, she could have become world-famous, but her significance remained restricted to the German speaking world. Relatively few records and radio recordings have preserved her voice. She was more of a stage singer than a concert artist, and this was perhaps the reason she showed little interest in studio recordings. In
Read more
choosing her repertoire, she always tried to focus on roles that seemed to fit not only her voice but also her appearance and mentality. In this wise exercise of self-restraint she was similar to the great Kirsten Flagstad, who also refrained from singing the dramatic Strauss roles such as Elektra, although she was better suited to them than any other singer. Unquestionably Johanna Blatter was one of the most important singers of her time. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Iphigénie en Aulide: Armez-vous d'un noble courage by Christoph W. Gluck
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Arthur Rother
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1772-1774; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1951
Venue: Berlin, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 58 Secs.
Language: German
2.
Tristan und Isolde: Einsam wachend...Habet Acht! by Richard Wagner
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Arthur Rother
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1859; Germany
Date of Recording: 1952
Length: 7 Minutes 10 Secs.
Language: German
3.
Rienzi: Gerechter Gott! by Richard Wagner
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Leo Blech
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1840-1843; Germany
Date of Recording: 1952
Length: 18 Minutes 29 Secs.
Language: German
4.
Lohengrin: Euch Lüften, die mein Klagen by Richard Wagner
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano),
Traute Richter (Soprano)
Conductor:
Leo Blech
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847; Germany
Date of Recording: 1952
Length: 3 Minutes 6 Secs.
Language: German
5.
Aida: Ritorna vincitor! by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano),
Traute Richter (Soprano)
Conductor:
Leo Blech
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1871; Italy
Date of Recording: 1952
Length: 2 Minutes 38 Secs.
Language: German
6.
Il trovatore: Ai nostri monti by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano),
Rudolf Schock (Tenor)
Conductor:
Kurt Gaebel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1853; Italy
Date of Recording: 1952
Length: 8 Minutes 44 Secs.
Language: German
7.
Aida: L'abborita rivale a me sfuggia by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano),
Ludwig Suthaus (Tenor)
Conductor:
Leopold Ludwig
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1871; Italy
Date of Recording: 1948
Venue: Berlin, Germany
Length: 9 Minutes 36 Secs.
Language: German
8.
Samson et Dalila, Op. 47: Amour, viens aider ma faiblesse by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Leopold Ludwig
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1877; France
Date of Recording: 1950
Venue: Berlin, Germany
Length: 9 Minutes 44 Secs.
Language: German
9.
Der Evangelimann, Op. 45: O schöne Jugendtage by Wilhelm Kienzl
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Karl Fischer
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1894; Bad Aussee, Austria
Date of Recording: 1948
Venue: Berlin, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 20 Secs.
Language: German
10.
Don Carlos: Pietà! Pietà! perdon! by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano),
Irma Demuth ()
Conductor:
Ferenc Fricsay
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin State Opera Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1867/1884; Italy
Date of Recording: 1948
Venue: Live City Opera, Berlin, Germany
Length: 4 Minutes 21 Secs.
Language: German
11.
Don Carlos: Fountainebleu! Foresta immensa by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Elisabeth Hufnagel (Mezzo Soprano),
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Ferenc Fricsay
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin State Opera Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1867/1884; Italy
Date of Recording: 1948
Venue: Live City Opera, Berlin, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 51 Secs.
Language: German
12.
La donna ancora è fedele: Se Florindo è fedele by Alessandro Scarlatti
Performer:
Johanna Blatter (Mezzo Soprano),
Gunhild Stappenbeck (Harpsichord)
Period: Baroque
Written: 1698; Naples, Italy
Date of Recording: 1952
Venue: Berlin, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 54 Secs.
Language: Italian
Customer Reviews
Be the first to review this title
Review This Title
