Maria Olszewska was a Polish-born mezzo-soprano and contralto, active at the Vienna State Opera and other major European houses. She was especially admired in Wagner and Strauss.

In the Pristine catalogue she appears in early Wagner recordings and in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, including material with Lotte Lehmann and Robert Heger.

Olszewska’s singing brought dark colour, Viennese style and dramatic intelligence to roles that need both authority and character.

Her page is justified by repeated catalogue presence and historical standing. Olszewska adds old-Vienna contralto depth to the Wagner and Strauss shelves.