Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

Internationally recognized as the finest Mozart and Strauss soprano since World War II, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was a highly acclaimed performer in both opera and lieder for nearly three decades. In this biography of the remarkable diva, Alan Jefferson discusses her unique vocal and interpretive gifts and sheds new light on her life, including her opportunistic membership in the Nazi Party, her personal and professional partnership with maverick impresario Walter Legge, and her working relationships with Europe's leading conductors.

Among opera divas, perhaps no star shines as bright as that of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, arguably the finest Mozart and Strauss soprano in the past 50 years. Though she gave her farewell performance in 1979, her recordings remain enormously popular today. So the revelation of her past connections with the Nazi Party must come as something of a shock to her admirers. In his biography Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Alan Jefferson relies on his extensive research of archival information--including the Party's 2,000-page file on Schwarzkopf--to reveal the full extent of her willing cooperation with the Nazis, a relationship that Schwarzkopf has consistently downplayed in the years following the war.

Although Schwarzkopf's Nazi past is undoubtedly a bombshell to her fans, Jefferson is reluctant to emphasize it more than other aspects of his subject's life. He also explores the complicated relationship between Schwarzkopf and her husband and partner, Walter Legge, as well as her working relations with Europe's greatest conductors. Anyone interested in a balanced, truthful account of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's life and work will find Alan Jefferson's Elisabeth Schwarzkopf fascinating reading.