# Margaret Harshaw as a Wagnerian: opinions?



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

In the annals of great Bruinhildes and Isoldes one usually comes across Flagstad,Traubel, Leider, Varnay and Nilsson. I've never heard Margaret Harshaw included in this list. I have come to know her because Sirius/XM Met Opera Channel often plays her performances from the 1950's.She sang 22 seasons at the Met. She might be a notch below the greats listed earlier, but I contend that if she were singing today she would top the lists as the greatest Wagnerian soprano singing currently. I have no idea how large the voice was, but the recordings show a gloriously beautiful voice with the needed strength in the middle and lower registers combined with sensitive interpretations. Does anyone else have an opinion?


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## Pip (Aug 16, 2013)

I have a great deal of respect for Margaret Harshaw. Probably the least known of the great line of American Wagner sopranos of the 40s and 50s. She sang also at Covent Garden in the Ring from 1953 until 1960.
Having sung at the MET from the early 40s as a mezzo in all kinds of roles (Amneris. La Cieca ect) and singing Brangäne to the Isolde of Traubel, she finally got her chance from around 1953 to sing the major Wagner roles. Isolde, Kundry, the Brünnhildes and also Elizabeth and Ortrud. Ortrud was her final MET performance in 1964.
She had a fine voice which could carry over the orchestra with ease. She never had any luck with the recording companies, but there are quite a few MET broadcasts with her as Isolde, Brünnhilde and Elizabeth.
There is also a marvelous Wagner concert in the Szell Centenary Box Set with the Cleveland Orchestra which contains her
"Dich teure halle", Liebestod and Immolation in excellent sound. This concert is all but unobtainable (PM me) and deserves a wider circulation.
She had the bad luck to be singing at the same time as Varnay Mödl and Nilsson and kind of got overlooked.
As you quite rightly say, SeattleOperaFan, if she were singing today, she would be at the very top!

Great Singer.


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## Gaspard de la Nuit (Oct 20, 2014)

Hey, she grew up near my dad's house, right down the street in fact! I heard her voice on a recording of Rheingold as Fricka....it's difficult to tell that much on recording but she sounded on the level of the others - including Hans Hotter as Wotan and Jerome Hines as Fasolt - so that's saying something.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Pip, you gave me exactly what I was hoping for. They feature her every month or so in Met Opera radio and I always greatly enjoy her performances. Much better than Voigt as Brunnhilde and a notch better than even Eaglen at her peak!


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