1926 London.
The celebrated German-born American soprano Lotte Lehmann was born in Perleberg Germany on 27th Feb 1888 and died on 26th Aug 1975 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
She studied with Mathilde Mallinger and after less than a year of study obtained an apprentice-level contract with the Hamburg Opera in 1910.
In 1914 sang for the first time at the Vienna Court Opera and it was in Vienna Lotte Lehmann found her true artistic home. Richard Strauss chose her to create the roles of the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos - the Dyer's Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten and Christine in Intermezzo. Thereafter she sang premiers of other Strauss operas as well as Vienna premiers of Puccini.
In 1914 she sang for the first time in London and also appeared regularly between 1926 & 1937 at the Salzburg festivals under conductors such as Krauss, Schalk, and Toscanini. She gave lieder recitals there with Bruno Walter at the piano.
In 1934 Lotte Lehmann made her debut at the Met in her favourite role of Sieglinde in Die Walküre.
Problems with the Nazis had prevented her from singing for years in Germany, and when Austria was annexed in 1938, she left. She penned an exceptionally well written piece called ‘Goring, the lioness and I” where she describes her encounter with Hermann Goring. She opens “How could anyone have suspected that luncheon with a notorious mass-murderer would be amusing and entertaining? And yet I had this sensational, even if not exactly enviable, experience.”
Her career in the USA continued during the war, mostly in concert performances and recordings and in 1951 she gave her final concerts and retired to an active teaching career, which she followed almost until her death.
[Covent Garden official souvenir 1926]
1926 London.
The celebrated German-born American soprano Lotte Lehmann was born in Perleberg Germany on 27th Feb 1888 and died on 26th Aug 1975 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
She studied with Mathilde Mallinger and after less than a year of study obtained an apprentice-level contract with the Hamburg Opera in 1910.
In 1914 sang for the first time at the Vienna Court Opera and it was in Vienna Lotte Lehmann found her true artistic home. Richard Strauss chose her to create the roles of the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos - the Dyer's Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten and Christine in Intermezzo. Thereafter she sang premiers of other Strauss operas as well as Vienna premiers of Puccini.
In 1914 she sang for the first time in London and also appeared regularly between 1926 & 1937 at the Salzburg festivals under conductors such as Krauss, Schalk, and Toscanini. She gave lieder recitals there with Bruno Walter at the piano.
In 1934 Lotte Lehmann made her debut at the Met in her favourite role of Sieglinde in Die Walküre.
Problems with the Nazis had prevented her from singing for years in Germany, and when Austria was annexed in 1938, she left. She penned an exceptionally well written piece called ‘Goring, the lioness and I” where she describes her encounter with Hermann Goring. She opens “How could anyone have suspected that luncheon with a notorious mass-murderer would be amusing and entertaining? And yet I had this sensational, even if not exactly enviable, experience.”
Her career in the USA continued during the war, mostly in concert performances and recordings and in 1951 she gave her final concerts and retired to an active teaching career, which she followed almost until her death.
[Covent Garden official souvenir 1926]