Ljuba Welitsch was a celebrated Bulgarian, later Austrian, operatic soprano. She studied singing at Sofia Conservatory with professor Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin. After specializing in Vienna, she first appeared in Sofia in 1936. Engagements followed in Graz, Hamburg, Munich and finally at the Vienna State Opera. Known for her red hair and exuberant vivacity, her most famous role was that of Salome, which she performed under the composer, Richard Strauss, himself in 1944 on his 80th birthday. She sang the same role for her London debut in 1947 and her first performance at the Metropolitan Opera, New York on 4 February 1949.

In this compilation Prima Voce have carefully chosen recordings of music covering a number of roles which Viennese, British and American fans in particular associated her with. In two extracts from Mozart’s Don Giovanni as Donna Anna, a role which introduced her to British audiences, from the opening recitative of ‘Or sai chi l’onore’, here ably assisted by the veteran Metropolitan Opera comprimario tenor Alessio de Paolis, one is struck by her brilliant yet beautiful tone and her attack on the high notes in the aria proper.