Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber remains, for many, the quintessential Viennese operetta tenor. As well as a performer, he was a composer, his works displaying his understanding of the operetta and song genres if not the genius of a Lehár or Johann Strauss, Jr. He did not have a perfect voice; his Bs and Cs were labored and his habit of using falsetto to reach the rest of the upper range, while producing some ravishing results, could become mannered and overly applied. That said, his graceful charm of expression and lyrical warmth made him one of the most beloved singers of his time.
He was the son of an actor and theater director and an actress, and was raised by his father after the age of seven, thus increasing his exposure to music and the theater. His early studies at the Frankfurt Conservatory focused on conducting and composition, his voice studies instead taking place at Freiburg under Carl Beines. He made his opera debut at the Chemnitz Neues Stadt-Theater in March, 1913, as Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute. He was almost immediately given a five-year contract by the Dresden Opera where he became the established lyric tenor. As his career continued to develop throughout Germany, he was strongly associated with Mozart; when he appeared as Tamino, Mozart's opera was often jokingly renamed Die Tauberflöte. Astonishingly, however, his 1915 Berlin Opera debut was as Bacchus in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos (a role that many heroic tenors find incredibly taxing), sung with 48 hours' notice and only one rehearsal! Tauber became known for his fast learning and musicianship, and was often called upon for such emergencies. He once took over as conductor for a tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
In the 1920s, he began to specialize in operetta and song, and became best known for those roles and for recitals, recordings, and film work. Lehár wrote the operettas Paganini, Der Zarewitsch, Friederike, and The Land of Smiles with him in mind, and in each, made sure to include a showpiece (soon known as the Tauberlied) for his talents. In 1931, he made his debut in England at the Drury Lane Theater in Lehár's The Land of Smiles, and he remained in England for fear of Nazi persecution (he was of Jewish extraction), becoming a naturalized citizen in 1940. Like most singers, his career was interrupted by the war, but he made his operatic farewell in 1947 as Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Though already seriously ill with the lung cancer that was to kill him the next year, according to critics and documented by air check recordings, it would have been a creditable performance for a singer in the best of health.
Tauber owed much of his fame to his then-prodigious 725 recordings; rivaled only by the recorded output of John McCormack. Tauber's catalog unquestionably displays the most variety, including songs by Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin, arias and duets from Verdi's Il trovatore and Aida, Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, German lieder, and even the Neapolitan and Irish songs in which Caruso and McCormack were the main exponents. He also appeared in several movies, including a film of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, Blossom Time, Heart's Desire, and Forbidden Music. Today, his operetta Old Chelsea (which he wrote to celebrate his naturalization as an English citizen) is still sometimes performed.
© TiVo
Ähnliche Künstler
-
Richard Tauber - You Are My Heart's Delight
Oper - Erschienen bei Profil am 01.01.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Opera Arias (1926-1946)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Naxos am 31.01.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of (Remastered)
Pop - Erschienen bei Play Digital am 28.01.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ich Küsse Ihre Hand, Madame (Berlin Recordings of 1928)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Casta Diva am 31.07.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Golden Voice of Richard Tauber, Vol. 1
Klassik - Erschienen bei P4Y am 25.11.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Richard Tauber Collection, Vol. 10: Opera Scenes (1927-1946)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Jube Classic am 04.06.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Les plus beaux chants religieux (Mono Version)
Marta Eggerth, Richard Tauber, Roger Bourdin
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Airs du film Romance d'amour (Mono Version)
Pop - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hearts' Delights
Klassik - Erschienen bei Regis Records am 01.01.2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Richard Tauber
Pop - Erschienen bei Mach60 Music am 18.03.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Unvergessene Stimme - Richard Tauber, Tenor
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei Bella Musica Edition am 29.11.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Music Collection: Richard Tauber Vol. 01
Oper - Erschienen bei J.d.L. RECORDS am 06.07.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Music Collection: Richard Tauber Vol. 05
Oper - Erschienen bei J.d.L. RECORDS am 25.07.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sings in German: Keine Schlafer
Oper - Erschienen bei MVE am 15.11.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Durch Die Wälder, Durch Die Auen (London Recordings of 1943 - 1946)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Casta Diva am 31.08.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sound of the Movies
Vokalmusik (weltlich und geistlich) - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 05.08.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Richard Tauber Collection, Vol. 28: Live from Zürich & Excerpts from the General Motors Radio Concerts (Live 1937, 1946)
Vokalmusik (weltlich und geistlich) - Erschienen bei Jube Classic am 03.03.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Richard Tauber Collection, Vol. 27: A Song Recital
Richard Tauber, Percy Kahn, Artist Unknown, Henry Geehl
Vokalmusik (weltlich und geistlich) - Erschienen bei Jube Classic am 06.01.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Richard Tauber Collection: Vol. 13: Popular English Songs and Ballads II (Recordings 1932-1938)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Jube Classic am 06.08.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Richard Tauber Collection: Vol. 12 – Film Songs (Recordings 1928- 1932)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Jube Classic am 02.07.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo