ORFEO CD C 733 082 IShe was neither a man-eating monster nor a demonic femme fatale but a self-assured woman whose erotic charm stemmed from her unscrupulousness and refusal to compromise. From her very first entry, to which she brought the tone of a French chanson, to the Card Scene, with its tremendous sense of drama, and the tension-laden final scene, Christa Ludwig pulled out all the stops, turning in a performance that still radiates an undiminished power even as a sound recording. The conductor was the young Lorin Maazel, whose phenomenal memory and powers of concentration gave Christa Ludwig an extra lift that in turn proved an important stepping stone on the road that led to a production of Fidelio at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin only a few months later and thence to a musical partnership that lasted several decades. James King was convincing as an impassioned Don José exploring a repertory somewhat apart from the Heldentenor roles with which he was normally associated. Born in Egypt to Greek parents, the Italian soprano Jeanette Pilou sang the part of Micaëla, demonstrating that it was not just her name that made her so suited to the French repertory. Five years later Viennese audiences hailed her as an outstanding Manon in Massenet’s opera of the same name. In this context, it is especially fascinating to note the young Lucia Popp in the small role of Frasquita. And who better to sing the part of the predatory, idolized Escamillo than Eberhard Waechter at the very peak of his powers?