In the aftermath of the Second World War, many Germans strove to dissasociate themselves from Hitler’s Third Reich. Opera diva Lotte Lehmann vigorously promoted the fact that she, for one, never performed for the Nazis. This claim is one of the many facets of her legend examined in York University professor Michael Kater’s new biography, Never Sang for Hitler.

Working in Germany, Austria, and the U.S., Lehmann was a renowned prima donna who still has a devoted following. She sang with some of the greatest singers, composers, and musicians of her time; Kater discusses her relationship with each of them and the impact they had on her career. Kater’s book also both confirms and debunks salient points about her life story, including the truth about why she never sang for Hitler, and questions about her sexuality.  

Kater finds Lehmann’s career and personal life fascinating, and for opera fans, this book delivers plenty of detail and analysis. The book is not, however, very accessible to those who are unfamiliar with this art form; it’s easy for the uninitiated to get lost and overwhelmed by all the information presented. And although Kater concludes that Lehmann “transcends” her character flaws, it is difficult to connect with a woman who comes across as greedy, selfish, and obsessed with conquests, whether of musical scores or of her friends and lovers.

There is some interesting general historical analysis in this book, such as the description of Austria just before the Anschluss, and the comparison between the opera scene in Europe and that of the U.S. However, this biography is ultimately about Lotte Lehmann, and as such is geared toward a very specific readership, one that would be interested in meticulous descriptions of the international opera scene of the 2oth century.