Barnes & Noble - Andrew Farach-Colton These historic recordings will provide grist for the mill to those who believe that the Golden Age of Wagner singing is long gone. Bypassing the most famous Wagnerians of the 1930s -- Lauritz Melchoir, Kirsten Flagstad, Helen Traubel, and Friedrich Schorr -- these two well-filled discs still manage to offer the kind of voices and interpretations that one yearns for today. Gertrud Bindernagel, heard in the "Liebestod" from Tristan, may not be the Isolde of one's dreams. But while she does not communicate a sense of overwhelming passion, her voice has that potent combination of beauty and heft that seems to have all but disappeared from the world's opera stages. Then there is Herbert Janssen, whose voice is not particularly beautiful but whose phrasing and seamless legato reach directly into one's heart. One would have to search far and wide to find such a poignant "Wie Todesahnung" Evening Song from Tannhäuser as we get here. Of course, there were singers who had the whole package -- instrument, intelligence, and imagination. Helge Roswaenge is among that rare breed, and even a mere four-minute excerpt, "Am stillen Herd" from Die Meistersinger, is enough to make his Walther into a true and lovable hero. The two generously filled discs present selections from eight of Wagner's operas in more or less chronological order. Teldec's transfers are very fine, and though texts and translations are not provided, there are substantial notes about the recordings and some terrific photos. In fact, the album's main drawback is that it makes today's Wagnerian vocal scene seem so deplorable.