# RIP Inge Borkh



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I was not familiar with her but checked her out after very positive tributes about her after her passsing ( we think she was 101.). She was supposedly a great Turandot and Elektra, and was known as a Strauss soprano. From what I heard she had a glorious upper register. Any thoughts?


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

Wow, I had no idea she was still alive, that's pretty impressive longevity.

I only have her on recordings on Erede's 1955 Turandot with Del Monaco and Tebaldi and as Sieglinde in the 1952 Bayreuth Ring. Excellent on the Turandot, and a creditable Sieglinde. I wasn't around in those days but I imagine before the Mehta Sutherland Turandot, the Nilsson haters would probably opt for the Borkh Turandot--it's a very good performance in decent early stereo sound, only marred by the miscast Del Monaco.


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## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

Her album cover as Salome is one of my faves. Great recording with Reiner too. RIP Inge.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I get the impression that she worked mostly in Europe so didn't get a big following here. I dpm
t associate her with the Met. Some say she was the best Elektra. I can't say; It was nice to have such a normal sized dramatic soprano.. She had a big jaw like Nilsson and Sutherland which might account for her large voice perhaps.


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## davidglasgow (Aug 19, 2017)

Inge Borkh's records were my introduction to Elektra, Salome and Turandot - she could be highly dramatic and her voice had a lovely warmth and sheen. 





There's a selection of arias from 1958 on Youtube from Italian opera - Ballo in Maschera, Macbeth, Forza del Destino - with Rudolf Moralt conducting in excellent stereo: I'll be giving them a listen, I had not heard those before.






I suppose I find her records a bit less memorable than her idiosyncratic contemporaries: Rysanek, Nilsson, Callas. Still, there is a lot to enjoy and her performances can address some of the limitations of those contemporaries: she's less swoopy than Rysanek, her voice is flattered by the recording process in a way Nilsson's larger instrument rarely was, and you don't cringe in anticipation of the climaxes.

That Borkh could be extraordinarily exciting can be heard in her record with Reiner of scenes from Elektra and Salome which are genius - I don't enjoy other versions of those scenes half as much.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

davidglasgow said:


> Inge Borkh's records were my introduction to Elektra, Salome and Turandot - she could be highly dramatic and her voice had a lovely warmth and sheen.
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> 
> ...


Your response is more than I hoped for. Thanks. It was a very lovely voice.


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

*The 1957 Elektra*

It will come as no surprise when I confess to being an avid Richard Strauss fan.

This is now a very old thread but IMHO well worth revisiting, if only for further consideration of Borhk's superb performance of Elektra - the best I have ever heard, even compared to Nillson and Rysanek. The recording sound is pretty dreadful but the Mitropoulos Saltzberg performance of 1957 is outstanding in every respect.

Though she may not be the ideal Clytemnestra, Lisa Della Casa is a bit too sweet compared to, say, Varnay but is always worth hearing.

My other main reason to cherish this recording is the Oreste of Kurt Bohme. He was a Bass - somewhat unusual casting for what was essentially a baritone role but he is superb, bringing real power and nobility. For example, The Karl Bohm version released on DVD is very good but I do not like Fischer-Dieskau in the role of Oreste. He has many fine qualities, but I have always found him to be something of a "crooner" and in this role, he is insubstantial both in appearance and voice.

Please feel free to argue


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