Erna Berger

At a time when many high sopranos offered nothing more than a steam whistle sound, the cool, pure timbre of Erna Berger's instrument fell upon the ears as a balm. Though not large, her instrument had sufficient carrying power to be heard in Europe's largest theaters and not get lost even in the open spaces of the old Metropolitan Opera where she sang briefly beginning in 1949. Trim and petite, she remained a credible stage figure into her fifties and retained to the end of her career the firmness and clarity of tone which had brought her acclaim at an early age. She was an acc...