Germaine Lubin

Richard [Classical] Wagner (Composer), Carl Maria von Weber (Composer), Charles Gounod (Composer), Ernest Reyer (Composer), Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Frederic Chopin (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), Robert Schumann (Composer), Germaine Lubin (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Germaine Lubin
• Composer: Richard [Classical] Wagner, Carl Maria von Weber, Charles Gounod, Ernest Reyer, Giacomo Puccini, et al.
• Audio CD (October 26, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Preiser Records
• ASIN: B00000IQHV
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #679,341 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best French dramatic soprano from the interwar period, October 26, 2009

By 

Philip S. Griffey (Bainbridge I. WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Germaine Lubin (Audio CD)

The sound of this recording it better than most recordings made in France in the `20's, and gives a clear and precise rendering of the singer's vocal characteristics.

Her principal virtue was a rich and attractive voice, whose registers were all equally strong and well integrated. She employed a generous amount of vibrato, but less portamento than was common in the interwar period. Her ability to sing piano in the upper range with ease and accuracy gave an attractive sense of transparency and luminosity.

On the downside, her diction was poor (approaching that of Sutherland in later years) and she tended to allow enthusiasm to overcome finesse in her phrasing.

It is certainly not the case that Lubin "is unbeatable". She was a fine dramatic soprano with a beautiful voice; but her talents and abilities as a Wagnerian were clearly surpassed by Flagstad, Lehmann and Rethberg in smoothness, steadiness, control and clarity. Her rendering of the Freischütz aria, "Wie nahte mir der Schlummer" (here "Comment trouver le calme") is clearly inferior to those of Lemnitz, Grümmer, Schwarzkopf and others; and her distressingly "whoopy" version of Bach's "My Heart Ever Faithful" (which even Isobel Baillie could sing with an appropriate sense of style in that period) is simply an embarrassment.

I would rank her with Ljungberg and Lawrence, above Ohms and Wildbrunn, but less interesting than Leider. She left few recordings - I believe they are all included on this disc, so the label you choose should be based on the quality of the audio engineering. To my somewhat elderly ears Qualiton's "Club 99" (Germaine Lubin: Soprano 1891-1979 [Import]) sound is slightly dimmer and less clear. It is considerably cheaper at this writing and offsets it rather garish packaging with a fascinating interview of the artist by Max de Schauensee (from 1966).

Her physical bearing and attractiveness are at this point merely interesting foot notes, as was her "Petainisme" and her close association with Nazi's like von Karajan and the Wagner family before and during World War II.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Historical enthusiasts only, July 15, 2007

By 

Sanford P. Press (Canadensis, PA. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Germaine Lubin (Audio CD)

Obviously, This was recorded many years ago. The sound is barely passable.
I've read about her and supposedly she was da "BANG" way back when. I've never ben a great fan of these old recordings since they often times tell little of the actual greatness of these singers. Her biography was more fascinating.