Complete Columbia Recordings
Ljuba Welitsch had a short career, her stardom spanning the mid-1940s to the  mid-1950s. Perhaps this is because she gave so much of herself--even on records you feel  she's operating on all cylinders. Her most famous role, Salome, is represented here by the  closing scene with Fritz Reiner and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, recorded at the  time of her triumphant New York debut. She was also a great Donna Anna, her rendition  of the big arias fromDon Giovannifull of fire and thrust.Tosca's"Vissi d'arte" is a passionate reading, one of the best on disc. The song  disc is more variable but always interesting. A great singer, captured in her prime.-- Dan Davis