In celebration of the Eileen Farrell’s 100th anniversary, Sony Classical is pleased to release a new 16-CD collection of this beloved artist’s entire American Columbia discography. This stunning collection displays Farrell’s uniquely wide repertoire, ranging from Brünnhilde to Broadway, from Cherubini’s Medea to Berg’s Marie, from Debussy songs to “Danny Boy”, from Gluck to Gershwin. Born in 1920 in Connecticut to vaudeville performers who styled themselves “The Singing O’Farrells”, she studied with a Met contralto and by the age of 20 had moved to New York with her own CBS radio programme, “Eileen Farrell Sings”. The radio programme lasted seven years and made her a household name. Works performed by Farrell on the show appear on this must-have box set.

In 1958, she essayed Cherubini’s Medea – one of her favourite roles – and recorded extended excerpts of it for Columbia in New York. High Fidelity compared Farrell’s interpretation favourably to Callas’s, praising her “voice of almost flawless beauty, and she is a musician of great intelligence.” Gramophone concurred: “The disc should be heard by all lovers of fine singing.” Farrell’s Met debut – as Gluck’s Alceste, also included in this collection – came in 1960. Also included in this box set are works by Verdi, Schubert, Puccini, Beethoven and Debussy.