Sunday, March 23, 2008

Rare Footage of Gwendolyn Koldofsky Playing in Lotte Lehmann Master Class

In the short time that I studied with Gwendolyn Koldofsky at the Academy of the West, she often spoke fondly of her longtime collaboration with Lotte Lehmann. I was very glad to have recently found a six-and-a-half minute YouTube clip of a 1961 Lotte Lehmann master class, in which she coaches Jeannine Wagner singing Brahms' Sonntag with none other than Koldofsky herself at the piano. This master class dates from the time after Lehmann had stopped singing professionally, however, she still sings one of the more convincing performances of Sonntag you'll ever hear, an octave lower than written. For all those who knew Lehmann and Koldofsky, here's a rare moment to see them in their prime over 45 years ago...

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for posting this treasure! The Koldofskys were close friends of my parents. This demonstration by Lehmann is unforgettable. Thank you!
    Peter Gimpel

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