Since posting her “Depuis le jour” from Louise yesterday,I’ve been thinking about and listening to fellow Ohioan, American soprano Arlene Saunders who died last month of COVID-19.

As she had a very limited commercial discography and performed mostly in Europe, I thought some readers might be curious to hear more of her, so I put together a short miscellany lasting about a half-hour that includes several of her live performances.

Included are bits of Saunders in four roles: Pamina (Glyndebourne 1966), Donna Elvira (Lausanne 1967), Eva (San Francisco 1971)—her sole Met assignment for three performances in 1976, and  Elsa (Hartford 1977 with Karl-Walter Böhm). The sound quality of these chunks varies wildly I’m afraid.

In addition, YouTube hosts several illuminating clips including a complete performance of Strauss’s Die Liebe der Danae…

as well as excerpts of her Ariadne…

and her celebrated Minnie which she performed at the New York City Opera.

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