The Archive - Gundula Janowitz & Elisabeth Grümmer

The Archive - Gundula Janowitz & Elisabeth Grümmer

This episode of The Archive focuses on two of Germany’s most famous sopranos. Gundula Janowitz’s intelligence is a far cry from the temperamental prima donnas, firmly in accord with her own time. Let us start by listening to her performance of an aria from Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz (“Wie nahte mit der schlummer…”), recorded at the salle Pleyel in Paris in 1963. She is accompanied by Peter Maag, conducting the RTF National Orchestra. Three years later, at the same venue with identical performers and conductor, Gundula Janowitz performs an almost Mozartian rendition of Beethoven’s “Ah! Perfido” concert aria. She finishes with a Wagnerian excerpt from Tannhäuser (“Dich, teure Halle, grüss ich wieder”). The ORTF National Orchestra is this time conducted by Alain Lombard. This episode concludes with a rare archive of Elisabeth Grümmer, performing an excerpt from Wagner’s Lohengrin opera (Act II, scene 2). Here is a perfect opportunity to savour the soprano’s finesse and unsurpassed vocal elegance, here joined by Richard Kraus conducting the ORTF National Orchestra.