Florence Austral
Florence Austral (26 April 1892 – 15 May 1968) was an Australian operatic dramatic soprano renowned for her interpretation of the most demanding Wagnerian female roles, although she never gained the opportunity to appear at the Bayreuth Festival or New York's Metropolitan Opera. It has been said of Austral that she was "considered to have few equals in sheer vocal quality until the arrival of Kirsten Flagstad. Acting was not her strong point; and her characterisations were mainly achieved with the voice, which made her recordings so vastly enjoyable." Austral, Germaine Lubin, and Frida Leider were "considered to be the great Wagnerian dramatic sopranos of their era, together with Flagstad, who did not rise to international fame until the 1930s. (Among all post-War Wagnerian sopranos, only Birgit Nilsson and, to a lesser extent, Astrid Varnay, have been in their exalted league.)" |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-99888 | 10-in. | 3/17/1936 | Trips abroad—Sweden | Gustav V. Lindgren ; Lyric Quartet | Female vocal quartet, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2250 | 12-in. | 12/8/1922 | Brünnhilde gives Sieglinde the broken sword (Act 3) | Florence Austral ; Edith Furmedge ; Eugene Goossens ; Edward Halland ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocal soloists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2251 | 12-in. | 12/8/1922 | Brunnhilde recalls her Valkyrie days (Act 3) | Florence Austral ; Albert Coates ; Tudor Davies ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocal soloists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2252 | 12-in. | 12/12/1922 | Brunnhilde yields to Siegfried (Finale of opera) | Florence Austral ; Albert Coates ; Tudor Davies ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocal soloists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2253 | 12-in. | 12/8/1922 | Introduction : Brünnhilde's battle cry (Act 2) | Florence Austral ; Albert Coates ; Robert Radford ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocal soloists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2254 | 12-in. | 12/11/1922 | Wotan warns Brünnhilde not to disobey (Act 2) | Florence Austral ; Eugene Goossens ; Robert Radford ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocal soloists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2255 | 12-in. | 12/11/1922 | Brünnhilde implores the protection of fire (Act 2) | Florence Austral ; Eugene Goossens ; Robert Radford ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocal soloists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2270 | 12-in. | 12/14/1922 | Brunnhilde hails the radiant sun (Act 3) | Florence Austral ; Tudor Davies ; Percy Pitt ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocal soloists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2276 | 12-in. | 12/18/1922 | Brünnhilde foretells Siegmund's death | Florence Austral ; Albert Coates ; Tudor Davies ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2277 | 12-in. | 12/19/1922 | The parting of Brünnhilde and Siegfried (Prologue, part 1) | Florence Austral ; Albert Coates ; Tudor Davies ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocalists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2278 | 12-in. | 12/19/1922 | The parting of Brunnhilde and Siegfried (Prologue, part 2) | Florence Austral ; Albert Coates ; Tudor Davies ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2303 | 12-in. | 12/22/1923 | Brunnhilde kindles the funeral pyre (Act 3) | Florence Austral ; Albert Coates ; Tudor Davies ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocalists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2305 | 12-in. | 12/22/1923 | Brunnhilde kindles the funeral pyre (Act 3) | Florence Austral ; Albert Coates ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocalist | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2306 | 12-in. | 12/22/1923 | Brunnhilde kindles the funeral pyre | Florence Austral ; Albert Coates ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocalist | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2840 | 12-in. | 4/16/1923 | Siegfried follows the forest bird (Finale, Act 2) | Albert Coates ; Tudor Davies ; Bessie Jones ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocal soloists | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
Gramophone | Cc2841 | 12-in. | 4/16/1923 | The forest bird warns Siegfried (Act 2) | Florence Austral ; Tudor Davies ; Eugene Goossens ; Sydney Russell ; Symphony Orchestra [Gramophone Co., 1920s] | Orchestra and vocal soloists | vocalist, soprano vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Austral, Florence," accessed April 24, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105351.
Austral, Florence. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105351.
"Austral, Florence." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Austral, Florence, 1892-1968 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n86102070
Wikidata: Florence Austral - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3073932
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/10032454
MusicBrainz: Florence Austral - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7c636ae9-5aa5-4f43-8f42-40c0291e03fd
ISNI: 0000 0001 1593 5827 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000115935827
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