The great Elisabeth Schumann began her career at the Hamburg Opera before becoming the star member of the Vienna State Opera in 1919. She made her triumphant American début at the MET in 1914, later establishing herself as the consummate Lieder singer when she gave a recital tour in the USA with Richard Strauss as her pianist. Schumann’s pure, silvery voice and innate gift for communicating with her audience were legendary. The earliest recordings on this disc, made in 1915 soon after Schumann’s New York début, show just how fresh was her tone and accomplished her technique at this early stage in her career. The 1920–23 acoustic recordings capture her Mozart, among other things, in its pristine state.