Brigitte Fassbaender rose to worldwide fame in the role of Octavian in the Strauss/Hofmannsthal comedy Der Rosenkavalier. Fassbaender took her Octavian to all the major centers including London, Milan, Vienna, New York and Tokyo and continued singing the role for over 20 years.
As one of the most legendary champions of Bach Karl Richter's many (and in some instances multiple) recordings of the composers Cantata's arguably is his greatest achievement. Richter enlisted many of the finest vocalists in their prime during the 1950's through the early 70's for these recordings elevating the neglected form at the time to the level of Grand Opera. His conducting, especially for his day as well remains remarkably animated and fluent yet always respectful of Bach's underlying powerful architectural components. These recordings set the standard and for many today remain the benchmark performances by which all new ones continue to be judged.
Marking the 80th birthday of Gundula Janowitz in August 2017, this box set celebrates her clear and honest soprano voice through a selection of her opera, oratorio and Lieder recordings. The favourite lyric soprano of Herbert von Karajan, Janowitz set the standard for sopranos with her legendary recordings of Mozart and R. Strauss which are still unsurpassed in the catalogue.