Described by Maria Callas as ‘the greatest singer of us all’, the American-born Rosa Ponselle (1897-1981) is acknowledged as one of the outstanding dramatic sopranos of the twentieth century. Without any previous experience of the operatic stage, she made her Metropolitan début in Verdi’s La forza del destino opposite Caruso in 1918. Following her enormous success, she became the Metropolitan’s leading soprano, appearing in twentyone rôles throughout her career. This third disc of Ponselle’s 1923-1929 American recordings features solo arias from the great Verdi operas, the complete ‘Tomb Scene’ from Aida and a number of songs that often appeared in Ponselle’s recital programmes. Schubert’s Ständchen is a composite of two takes unpublished on 78rpm found by a collector in Cincinnati.