Lotte Lehmann
Lotte Lehmann was one of the top dramatic soprano vocalists during the first half of the 20th century. She was known for her exuberant sense of drama, imaginative phrasing, and a precise vocal technique.
Lehmann was born in Perleberg, Germany, in 1888 to a modest and musical family. Her father sang folk music with the local glee club, and he also played the zither. Her mother and aunt also sang, but they both suffered from health problems that prevented them from performing professionally. As a child, she took piano lessons, dance lessons, and she also enjoyed painting. In 1902 Lehmann moved with her family to Berlin, where she studied singing with Mathilde Mallinger, the famous Croatian soprano. Her father encouraged her to pursue other more practical career options, but Lehmann was determined to become a singer and continued with her musical studies. She began her first professional appointment in 1910 and sang minor roles with the Hamburg Opera. However, she learned the profession quickly and began singing important roles early in her career.
In 1914, Lehmann made her first recordings, and she gave debut performances in London with Thomas Beecham and the Covent Garden Opera, and in Vienna with the Vienna State Opera. Two years later, she moved to Vienna and joined the Vienna State Opera, where she sang the premieres of several operas by Richard Strauss, including Ariadne auf Naxos, Die Frau ohne Schatten, and Intermezzo. Lehmann remained in Vienna for 21 years and sang over 50 roles with the Vienna State Opera. From 1924 to 1935, she sang with the Covent Garden Opera and became very popular in London. She was also the inspiration for the musical The Sound of Music, when she discovered the Trapp Family Singers and convinced their father to let them perform in public in 1936. She made her American debuts with the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1930, and with the Metropolitan Opera in 1934 and returned to the U.S. annually to perform. It was also around this time that she began singing lieder and art songs, accompanied by Bruno Walter, Erno Balogh, and eventually Paul Ulanowsky.
In 1938, Lehmann relocated to the United States to distance herself from the Nazi regime and performed regularly with the Met until 1945. This was followed by an additional season with the San Francisco Opera before her partial retirement in 1946. She continued performing in recitals until 1951 and began a new career as a professor at the Music Academy of the West, in Santa Barbara. She retired from her teaching position in 1962, and spent her final years painting, writing, and she gave private lessons in her home. Her literary works include volumes on musical interpretation, a novel, and an autobiography. Lehmann passed away in 1976 at her home in Santa Barbara.
© RJ Lambert /TiVo
-
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose)
Lotte Lehmann, Chor Der Wiener Staatsoper
Opera - Released by C.R. Digital Contents on 9 Aug 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hommage à la Malibran (Mono Version)
Renée Doria, Lotte Lehmann, Ninon Vallin
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Unvergessene Stimme: Lotte Lehmann
Classical - Released by Bella Musica Edition on 6 Dec 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Les héroïnes de Richard Strauss (Mono Version)
Inge Borkh, Lotte Lehmann, Maria Olszewska
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Singers of the Century: Lotte Lehmann Sings Light Music (Remastered 2017)
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Jube Classic on 4 Aug 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Les amours du poète, Op. 48 (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Lieder Recordings, vol. 4 (1941)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 26 Jun 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lieder Recordings, vol. 2 (1937-1940)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 20 Jun 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classic German Poetry by Goethe, Mörilke, Heine
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Saland Publishing on 5 Mar 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best Opera Singers, Vol. III
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Lotte Lehmann, Michael Bohnen
Opera - Released by SB Clasic on 22 Nov 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier
Chor und Orchester der Metropolitan Opera New York, Artur Bodanzky
Opera - Released by Cantus Classics on 2 May 1938
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehmann in Opera (Recorded 1916 - 1921)
Lotte Lehmann, Michael Bohnen, Heinrich Schlusnus
Opera - Released by Prima Voce on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Die Lyrikerin der Gesangskunst, Vol. 2
Classical - Released by Sinetone PCA on 29 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Die Lyrikerin der Gesangskunst, Vol. 4
Classical - Released by Sinetone PCA on 29 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Die Lyrikerin der Gesangskunst, Vol. 3
Classical - Released by Sinetone PCA on 29 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Die Lyrikerin der Gesangskunst, Vol. 1
Classical - Released by Sinetone PCA on 29 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Die Lyrikerin der Gesangskunst, Vol. 5
Classical - Released by Sinetone PCA on 29 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo