A reigning soprano of her era, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (1915-2006) remains renowned for her vocal beauty and elegance and for her acute interpretative insight – above all in the music of Mozart, Wolf and Strauss.

Gathering all her recorded recitals of songs and arias, this collection respects the original format of each programme conceived by Schwarzkopf and her husband, the legendary producer Walter Legge. In newly remastered sound, the soprano’s art emerges in all its exquisite refinement and detail.

The 100th birthday of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, one of the reigning sopranos of the second half of the 20th century, falls on 9th December 2015. She died in 2006, but her recordings are timeless treasures of the Warner Classics catalogue. Like her close contemporary and friend, Maria Callas, Schwarzkopf is a representative of a golden era of recording, but while Callas is closely identified with Italian composers and specifically with opera, Schwarzkopf is admired above all in music of the Austro-German tradition, both opera and song.

This 31-CD deluxe box set, 'Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: The Complete Recitals 1952-1974', gathers together all the recital programmes of song, opera and operetta that Schwarzkopf recorded for EMI between 1952 and 1974 with Walter Legge – who became the soprano’s husband in 1953 – as producer. Schwarzkopf and Legge conceived each programme with the greatest of care, and this collection respects and retains the integrity of every recital, with no recoupling or reorganisation of the tracks. In addition, the recordings have been remastered to the highest standards in 24-bit/96kHz: Schwarzkopf’s art emerges in all its beauty, refinement and detail.

The collection comprises programmes of song, with both piano and orchestra, and programmes of operatic, operetta and concert arias. The emphasis is on Austro-German composers such as Mozart, Richard Strauss – notably with two different versions of his sublime Vier letzte Lieder – conducted by Otto Ackermann (1953) and George Szell (the 1965 studio recording, often regarded as the greatest in the catalogue), Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler, Wagner, Johann Strauss and Lehár.

The recitals also showcase Schwarzkopf in arias and songs by Italian, Russian, Czech, British and Nordic composers.

Contents:
CD 1 Schubert Song Recital • Fischer
CD 2 Mozart: Operatic Arias • Pritchard
CD 3 R Strauss: Capriccio – closing scene • Vier letzte Lieder • Ackermann
CD 4 R Strauss: Scenes from Arabella • Matačić
CD 5 A Lieder Recital • Moore
CD 6 A Mozart Song Recital • Gieseking
CD 7 A Recital of Duets • Seefried • Moore
CD 8 Walton: Scenes from Troilus and Cressida • Walton
CD 9 Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in Songs You Love • Moore
CD 10 More Songs You Love aka The Christmas Album • Mackerras
CD 11 Elisabeth Schwarzkopf sings Operetta • Ackermann
CD 12 Wolf: Goethe Lieder • Moore
CD 13 Wolf: From the Italian Song Book • Moore
CD 14 Wolf: Songs from the Romantic Poets • Moore
CD 15 Schwarzkopf portrays Romantic Heroines • Susskind • Wallberg
CD 16 Favourite Scenes and Arias • Rescigno • Schmidt • Galliera
CD 17 R Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder • Five Songs with Orchestra • Szell
CD 18 Mozart / R Strauss: Concert Arias and Lieder • Brendel • Szell
CD 19 Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn • Fischer-Dieskau • Szell
CD 20 Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch • Fischer-Dieskau • Moore
CD 21–22 Brahms: Deutsche Volkslieder • Fischer-Dieskau • Moore
CD 23–26 The Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Songbook Vols 1–4 • Moore • Parsons
CD 27 Songs I Love • Parsons
CD 28 Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben • Liederkreis • Parsons
CD 29 A Hugo Wolf Recital • Furtwängler
CD 30–31 Homage to Gerald Moore • Fischer-Dieskau • Los Angeles
CD 31 Beethoven: Fidelio – excerpts • Ah! perfido • Karajan