On this recording, now released on CD for the first time, 46 settings of Italian songs are shared between soprano Erna Berger and baritone Hermann Prey. Both are among the most outstanding recitalists of the 20th century. In fact, when the recordings were made with pianist Günther Weissenborn in the Berlin district of Zehlendorf in September and November of 1959, Erna Berger (1900–1990) was nearing the end of her career whereas Hermann Prey (1929–1998) was just starting out. By contrast, the songs on the second part of the second CD are very early recordings by a singer who later gained worldwide renown from around 1960 onwards. Hermann Oskar Karl Bruno Prey was born in Berlin on July 11, 1929. The songs recorded on this double CD by the 'late' Erna Berger and the 'early' Hermann Prey will certainly give anyone interested in performance history, or music in general, a valuable audio account with a carefully restored sound quality. (Lothar Brandt - excerpts from the booklet)