Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is undoubtedly one of the greatest vocalists of the past century - and one of those with the most extensive discography. Yet we constantly note the disappearance from the catalogue of early recordings for radio or gramophone, particularly those which covered less popular repertoire. And there are a number of recordings that have simply never been issued on CD. The present anthology aims to bridge this gap.

The Four Serious Songs by Johannes Brahms (CD 2) recorded in November 1949 for Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DGG) are the first gramophone recordings of Lieder to have been made by the future grand master of the German Lied repertoire. The first ever sound recording by Fischer-Dieskau - so far as is known - is also in this anthology: the live broadcast from the Städtische Oper Berlin of Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlos (in German, as was then customary) by RIAS (Radio in the American Sector) on 18 November 1948 (CD 3). The third of our "firsts" is the maiden opera recording for gramophone by a baritone later acclaimed on almost all the world's stages. Fischer-Dieskau sings the part of Ford in Verdi's Falstaff, recorded in January 1951 (CD 3).

Contents:
CD 1 & 2: Lied
CD 3 & 4: Opera
CD 5: Sacred Music
CD 6 & 7: Concert