This features recordings made for Decca and the BBC between 1946 and 1953 and includes a previously unpublished recording of Ferrier’s passionate performance of Lennox Berkeley’s Four Poems of St Teresa of Ávila.

The melancholic quality of Ferrier’s singing penetrates her performances of a wide range of repertory, including the English folk songs she often performed. Kathleen Ferrier: In Celebration of Bach, a collection of historic performances with Britain’s favourite classical singer of the 20th century very much the star attraction. In honor of the centennial of her birth, EMI has released her complete recordings on the label in a three-disc set, an impressive showcase of her artistry in trademark works of Bach, Gluck, Handel and Mahler.

SOMM’s previous Ferrier releases include Bach’s Mass in B minor ( Ariadne 5000-2), songs by Brahms, Chausson and Mahler ( SOMMCD 075) and Kathleen Ferrier Remembered, a first release of BBC Radio recordings of Lieder and British songs ( SOMMCD 264). Aus diesem Grund erscheint nun auf Decca eine neue Dokumentation inklusive einer Bonus-CD mit bislang unveröffentlichten Aufnahmen aus amerikanischen Radioarchiven.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus of the Vienna State Opera are conducted by Volkmar Andreae. So it seems amazing that, after so long, a treasury of previously unpublished and little-circulated BBC broadcasts is now being released. Testament LP's are cut onto lacquer from the original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios using full analogue techniques throughout production an pressed onto 180g virgin vinyl. Apart from her studio recordings, many of her live performances and broadcast recitals were recorded, sometimes privately.

SOMM Recordings’ previous Ferrier releases include Bach’s Mass in B minor ( Ariadne 5000-2), songs by Brahms, Chausson and Mahler ( SOMMCD 075) and Kathleen Ferrier Remembered, a first release of BBC Radio recordings of Lieder and British songs ( SOMMCD 264). Recorded live on Ferrier’s only appearances in Carnegie Hall in January 1948, four months after her acclaimed performance at the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde reunited her with the conductor Bruno Walter and saw her making first appearances with tenor Set Svanholm and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.