"Much the most valuable items here are the two duets with Flagstad as they haven't been available in Britain for years or not at all. Besides, in the Lohengrin bridal-chamber scene Melchior is almost at the peak of his form, with a fine integration of line and tone, and Flagstad sings with rapt, glowing tone. Though this version hasn't quite the intimacy and tenderness of Melchior's earlier Parlophone version with Bettendorf (reissued in a two-CD Danacord set), it needs to be heard by budding Wagnerians wanting to know what we miss in Wagner singing today. The Tristan duet, again, finds Flagstad singing freshly and ecstatically... As it happens, the other Lohengrin items also find Melchior near his best, suggesting how affecting he must have been in the title-role, one of his favourite parts. Parsifal's ''Nur eine waffe taugt'' and Siegfried's second song at the forge are better heard in earlier versions.

The plums of the non-Wagner items are the Schumann duets with Lehmann—the old partners sing these gemutlich items with delightful spontaneity. One forgets and forgives the unauthenticity of the orchestral accompaniments in the enjoyment given by the exuberant singing. None of the solo songs is remarkable, though it's fun to hear Melchior's unadorned, endearing account of the old ballad, Homing, a previously unissued item."

-- Alan Blyth, Gramophone [10/1990]