Lisa Della Casa 1919-2012

[Marc]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/dec/11/lisa-della-casa

R.I.P. the most beautiful woman on the operatic stage.

[Opus106]

Three within a day! 11 December 2012 has probably been one of the worst days for music.

[The new erato]

My favorite in Strauss. RIP.

[PaulSC]

My favorite in Mahler 4. And yes, a beautiful woman! RIP

[Lisztianwagner]

I remember the recording of Le Nozze di Figaro she made with Kleiber very well, she had a beautiful voice. RIP.

[jochanaan]

I remember the recording of Le Nozze di Figaro she made with Kleiber very well, she had a beautiful voice. RIP.

That recording is the best Nozze I know.  RIP Signora della Casa.

[mjwal]

A wonderful singer - and to judge by the film about her made for German TV not that long ago, a wonderful woman. Her Arabella is unmatched, and she is a great Marschallin and Octavian in various excerpts; I also prefer her Ariadne (complete) to any other singer's. All of these are on live recordings of varying provenance and quality. Her Donna Elvira in the Mitropoulos recording has also never been surpassed, in my opinion, just equalled by Schwarzkopf. There is quite a lot on YouTube, if one hasn't the discs at hand.

[Chaszz]

Another loss in 2012 -- Lisa Della Casa, beautiful Swiss soprano, great interpreter of Strauss and Mozart roles, at 93. Her Four Last Songs by Strauss is in Decca's Legendary Performances series, and her Don Giovanni is among EMI's Great Recordings of the Century series.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/13/arts/music/lisa-della-casa-opera-singer-dies-at-93.html

[Tsaraslondon]

and her Don Giovanni is among EMI's Great Recordings of the Century series.

I think you'll find it's Schwarzkopf's Don Giovanni (under Giulini) that is in EMI's Great Recordings of the Century series. I don't think Della Casa ever recorded for EMI.

Della Casa and Schwarzkopf did, however, share the role of Donna Elvira in the Salzburg production, conducted by Furtwangler, and it is actually Della Casa who appears in the Paul Czinner film of that production.

[Wendell_E]

I think you'll find it's Schwarzkopf's Don Giovanni (under Giulini) that is in EMI's Great Recordings of the Century series. I don't think Della Casa ever recorded for EMI.

She was the Elvira in Josef Krips' recording of Don Giovanni, also in Decca's Legendary Performances series.  Perhaps that was what Chaszz was thinking of.  That recording was my introduction to the opera.