This is a reaction to those posts that discuss the various Schwarzkopf recordings and the Norman. Firstly, the latter is sort of beautiful vocally, if without much individual response to the words, but the orchestra plays like toffee. Secondly, where Masur makes a treacly trudge of the intro to "Im Abendrot", Szell whizzes over it, neglecting the emotional power of the glorious counter-melody. And here Sch. is definitely "performing" the part rather than singing it properly (rather the weird thing she makes of Schumann's Liederkreis Op.39 than this bodge). So of Schwarzkopf's various versions I prefer her live recording with Karajan/Philharmonia (1956). Of all the recordings I have heard in whole or in part in recent years, the one that puts the cream in my coffee, despite the imperfect orchestral rendition, is Teresa Stich-Randall with Ansermet/Suisse-Romande (1961), which has a quality of untrammelled soaring ecstasy. A great pity that Elisabeth Grümmer's version came a bit too late (recorded with a distinctly under-par radio orchestra in 1970).