Korngold: Das Wunder der Heliane: “Ich Ging Zu Ihm” by Lotte Lehmann 1928

Korngold: Das Wunder der Heliane: “Ich Ging Zu Ihm” by Lotte Lehmann 1928 Decca P-G-25805 (originally Odeon) sides A and B This one of my most favorite arias of the 20th century. However, most of this record is so soft it makes it hard to get a good transfer. The vocal sounds as if it were evened out so that the louder sections are more or less the same as the soft sections. I know Lotte Lehmann would not have sung it that way. She is one of opera’s legendary singers with an amazing voice and wide musical and emotional range. But even with all that, it is a great record I am very happy to own. Lotte Lehmann sang in many operas that were composed in her time, but unheard in later years. In 1927 she created the title role of Heliane in Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane (The Miracle of Heliane). This is the opera’s most famous aria in which you’ll hear both the sound of Lehmann’s voice, and some of the intensity of the drama. What a difference the newly invented microphone made! I first heard this aria in my car while playing a newly released CD by Renée Fleming that contained the aria. I ended up pulling over the listening to it three times in a row I was so mesmerized by the music and her voice. It is one the of opera arias I listen to the most and I am glad to have this 1928 recording by the originator of the role, Lotte Lehmann. Archive info: https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view... Lotte Lehmann: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotte_L... Das Wunder Der Helene: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Wun... Erich Wolfgang Korngold: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_W... Korngold Society on Das Wunder Der Heliane: https://korngold-society.org/site/das... A nice overview with musical examples from the opera: https://forbiddenmusic.org/2017/07/09...